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"Yap-ynp-yap/' barked Reddy Fox, as loud
as he could.

BURGESS TSm QUADDIES «*SS

MOTHER WEST WIND'S
CHILDREN

BY

THORNTON W. BURGESS
Author of "Old Mother West Wind"

Illustrated by George Kerr

GROSSET & DUNLAP

Publishers New York

<By arrangement with Little, Brovm and Company

Copyright, 1911,
By Thornton W. Busobss.

AU, rights reserved

VBJSTKD IN TBm UNITED STATES OF AMEKIOk

TO

All the Little Friends

OF

Johnny Chuck and Reddy Fox,

AND TO

All Who Love the Green Meadows

AND THE Smiling Pool,

The Laughing Brook and the Merry Little BREEZtSi

THIS little book IS DEDICATED.

I

CONTENTS

♦

CHAPTER PAGE

I. Danny Meadow Mouse Learns

Why His Tail is Short . . 1
II. Why Reddy Fox has no Friends 23

III. Why Peter Rabbit's Ears are

Long 43

IV. Reddy Fox Disobeys ... 57
V. Striped Chipmunk's Pockets . 71

VI. Reddy Fox, the Boaster . . 91

VII. Johnny Chuck's Secret . . 107

VIII. Johnny Chuck's Great Fight . 123

IX. Mr. Toad's Old Suit ... 141

X. Grandfather Frog Gets Even . 157

XI. The Disappointed Bush . . 169

XII. Why Bobby Coon Washes His

Food 179

XIII. The Merry Little Breezes have

A Busy Day 193

XIV. Why Hooty the Owl Does not

Play on the Green Mead-
ows 211

XV. Danny Meadow Mouse Learns

TO Laugh 229

I

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

"Yap - YAP - YAP," BARKED ReDDY FoX, AS

LOUD AS HE COULD .... Froutispiece

FACING PAGE

Mr. Rabbit had a great deal of curiosity,
A very great deal, indeed .... 49

Then everybody shouted "Haw! haw!
haw!" 105

He was so surprised he forgot to close it 163

I

DANNY MEADOW MOUSE LEARNS WHY HIS
TAIL IS SHORT

D

ANNY MEADOW MOUSE sat
in his doorway and looked down
the Lone Little Path across the
Green Meadows. Way, way over near
the SmiUng Pool he could see Old Mother
West Wind's Children, the Merry Little
Breezes, at play. Sammy Jay was sitting
on a fence post. He pretended to be
taking a sun bath, but really he was
planning mischief. You never see Sammy

4' MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

Jay that he isn't in mischief or plan-
ning it.

Reddy Fox had trotted past an hour
before in a great hurry. Up on the hill
Danny Meadow Mouse could just see
Jimmy Skunk pulling over every old
stick and stone he could find, no matter
whose house it might be, and excusing
himself because he was hungry and was
looking for beetles.

Jolly, round, red Mr. Sun was playing
at hide and seek behind some fleecy white
clouds. All the birds were singing and
singing, and the world was happy — all
but Danny Meadow Mouse.

No, Danny IVIeadow Mouse was not
happy. Indeed, he was very far from
happy, and all because his tail was
short.

By and by up came old Mr. Toad. It
was a warm day and Mr. Toad was very
hot and very, very thirsty. He stopped

I

DANNr MEADOW MOUSE 5

to rest beside the house of Danny Meadow
Mouse.

^' Good morning, Danny Meadow
Mouse/' said old Mr. Toad, '^ it's a fine
morning/'

^^ Morning," said Danny Meadow
Mouse, grumpily.

" I hope your health is good this
morning," continued old Mr. Toad, just
as if he hadn't noticed how short and
cross Danny Meadow Mouse had an-
swered.

Now old Mr. Toad is very ugly to look
upon, but the ugliness is all in his looks.
He has the sunniest of hearts and always
lie is looking for a chance to help some-
one.

'^ Danny Meadow Mouse," said old Mr.
Toad, ^' you make me think of your
grandfather a thousand times removed.
You do indeed. You look just as he did
when he lost the half of his tail and

6 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

realized that he never, never could get it
back again/'

Danny Meadow Mouse sat up sud-
denly.

'* What are you talking about, old Mr.
Toad? What are you talking about? ^'
he asked. '' Did my grandfather a
thousand times removed lose the half
of his tail, and was it shorter then than
mine is now? Was it, old Mr. Toad?
And how did he come to lose the half of
it?^'

Old Mr. Toad laughed a funny silent
laugh. '' It's a long story," said old Mr. '
Toad, and Tm afraid I can't tell it. Go
down to the Smiling Pool and ask Great-
Grandfather Frog, who is my first cousin,
how it happened your grandfather a
thousand times removed lost the half of
his tail. But before you go catch three
fat, foolish; green flies and take them with
you as a present to Grandfather Frog.*''*

DANNY MEADOW MOUSE 7

Danny Meadow Mouse could hardly
wait for old Mr. Toad to stop speaking.
In fact, he was in such a hurry that he
almost forgot his manners. Not quite,
however, for he shouted '' Thank you,
Mr. Toad, thank you! ^^ over his shoulder
as he rushed off down the Lone Little
Path.

You see his short tail had alv/ays been
a matter of mortification to Danny
Meadow Mouse. All his ccusins in the
Mouse family and the Rat family have
long, smooth, tapering tails, and they
have always been a source of envy to
Danny Meadow Mouse. He had felt
his queer short tail to be a sort of dis-
grace. So when he would meet one of his
cousins dancing down the Lone Little
Path, with his long, slim, tapering tail
behind him, Danny Meadow Mouse
would slip out of sight under the long
grass, he was so asham'3^ <j£ kw own little

S MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

tail. It looked so mean and small! He
had wondered and wondered if the
Meadow Mice had always had short
tails. He used to ask everyone who
came his way if they had ever seen a
Meadow Mouse with a long tail, but he
had never found any one who had.

^' Perhaps/^ thought Danny Meadow
Mouse as he hurried down the Lone
Little Path, ^^ perhaps Grandfather Frog,
who is very wise, will know why my tail
is short."

So he hurried this way and he hurried
that way over the Green Meadows in
search of fat, foolish, green flies. And
when he had caught three, he caught one
more for good measure. Then he started
for the Smiling Pool as fast as his short
legs would take him.

When finally he reached the edge of
the Smiling Pool he was quite out of
breath. There sat Great-Grandfather

DANNY MEADOW MOUSE 9

!7rog on his big, green lily pad. He was
blinking his great goggle eyes at jolly,
round, red Mr. Sun.

'' Oh, Grandfather Frog,'' said Danny
Meadow Mouse in a very small voice,
for you know he was quite out of breath
with running, " Oh, Grandfather Frog,
IVe brought you four fat, foolish, green
flies.''

Grandfather Frog put a hand behind
an ear and listened. " Did I hear some-
one say ^ foolish, green flies? ' " asked
Grandfather Frog.

'^ Yes, Grandfather Frog, here they
are," said Danny Meadow Mouse, still
in a very small voice. Then he gave
Grandfather Frog the four fat, foolish,
green flies.

^^ What is it that you want me to do
for you, Danny Meadow Mouse? " asked
Grandfather Frog as he smacked his
^ips, for he knew that Danny Meadow

10 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

Mouse must want something to bring
him four fat, foolish, green flies.

'' If you please,'' said Danny Meadow
Mouse, very politely, ^^ if you please,
Grandfather Frog, old Mr. Toad told me
that you could tell me how Grandfather
Meadow Mouse a thousand times re-
moved lost half of his tail. Will you,
Grandfather Frog — will you? ^^

'' Chug-a-rum,'' said Grandfather Frog.
" My cousin, Mr. Toad, talks too much.''

But he settled himself comfortably on
the big lily pad, and this is what he told
Danny Meadow Mouse:

'^ Once upon a time, when the world
was young, Mr. Meadow Mouse, your
grandfather a thousand times removed,
was a very fine gentleman. He took a
great deal of pride in his appearance, did
Mr. Meadow Mouse, and they used to
say on the Green Meadows that he
spent an hour, a full hour, every day

DANNY MEADOW MOUSE H

combing his whiskers and brushing his
coat.

" Anyway, he was very fine to look
upon, was Mr. Meadow Mouse, and not
the least attractive thing about him was
his beautiful, long, slim tail, of which he
was very proud.

^^ Now about this time there was a great
deal of trouble on the Green Meadows
and in the Green Forest, for some one was
stealing — yes, steaUng! Mr. Rabbit com-
plained first. To be sure, Mr. Rabbit was
lazy and his cabbage patch had grown
Httle more than weeds while he had been
minding other folks' affairs rather than
his own, but, then, that was no reason
why he should lose half of the little
which he did raise. And that is just what
he said had happened.

'^ No one really believed what Mr.
Rabbit said, for he had such a bad name
for telling things which were not so that

12 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

when he did tell the truth no one could
be quite sure of it.

'^ So no one paid much heed to what
Mr. Rabbit said until Happy Jack Squir-
rel one day went to his snug little hollow
in the big chestnut tree where he stores his
nuts and discovered half had been stolen.
Then Striped Chipmunk lost the greater
part of his winter store of com. A fat
trout was stolen from Billy Mink.

" It was a terrible time, for every one
suspected every one else, and no one on
the Green Meadows was happy.

'' One evening Mr. Meadow Mouse
went for a stroll along the Crooked Little
Path up the hill. It was dark, very dark
indeed. But just as he passed Striped
Chipmunk^s granary, the place where he
stores his supply of com and acoms for
the winter, Mr. Meadow Mouse met his
cousin, Mr. Wharf Rat. Now Mr. Wharf
Rat was very big and strong and Mr.

DANNY MEADOW MOUSE 13

Meadow Mouse had for a long time
looked up to and admired him.

" * Good evening, Cousin Meadow
Mouse,' said Mr. Wharf Rat, swinging a
bag down from his shoulder. ' WiU you
do a favor for me? '

" Now Mr. Meadow Mouse felt very
much flattered, and as he was a very
obliging fellow anyway, he promptly said
he would.

"'All right,' said Mr. Wharf Rat. ' I'm
going to get you to tote this bag down the
Crooked Little Path to the hoUow chest-
nut tree. I've got an errand back on top
of the hill.'

" So Mr. Meadow Mouse picked up the
bag, which was very heavy, and swung it
over his shoulder. Then he started down
the Crooked Little Path. Half way down
he met Striped Chipmunk.

" ' Good evening, Mr. Meadow Mouse,'
said Striped Chipmunk. ' What are

(4 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

you toting in the bag across your
shoulder? '

" Now, of course, Mr. Meadow Mouse
didn't know what was in the bag and he
didn't like to admit that he was working
for another, for he was very proud, was
Mr. Meadow Mouse.

''So he said: 'Just a planting of po-
tatoes I begged from Jimmy Skunk, just a
planting of potatoes, Striped Chipmunk.'

" Now no one had ever suspected Mr.
Meadow Mouse of stealing — no in-
deed! Striped Chipmunk would have
gone his way and thought no more about
it, had it not happened that there was a
hole in the bag and from it something
dropped at his feet. Striped Chipmunk
picked it up and it wasn't a potato. It
was a fat acom. Striped Chipmunk said
nothing but slipped it into his pocket.

" ' Good night,' said Mr. Meadow
Mouse, once more shouldering the bag.

da:n7^y meadow mouse 15

'* ' Good night/ said Striped Chip-
munk.

^^ No sooner had Mr. Meadow Mouse
disappeared in the darkness down the
Crooked Little Path than Striped Chip-
munk hurried to his granary. Some one
had been there and stolen all his acorns I

'^Then Striped Chipmunk ran to the
house of his cousin, Happy Jack Squirrel^
and told him how the acorns had been
stolen from his granary and how he had
met Mr. Meadow Mouse with a bag over
his shoulder and how Mr. Meadow Mouse
had said that he was toting home a plant-
ing of potatoes he had begged from Jimmy
Skunk. ' And this/ said Striped Chip-
munk, holding out the fat acom, ' is what
fell out of the bag.'

" Then Striped Chipmunk and Happy
Jack Squirrel hurried over to Jimmy
Skunk's house, and, just as they expected,
'^ey found that Mr. Meadow Mouse had

16 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

not begged a planting of potatoes of
Jimmy Skunk.

^' So Striped Chipmunk and Happy-
Jack Squirrel and Jimmy Skunk hurried
over to Mr. Rabbit's and told him all
about Mr. Meadow Mouse and the bag of
potatoes that dropped acorns. Mr. Rab-
bit looked very grave, very grave indeed.
Then Striped Chipmunk and Happy
Jack Squirrel and Jimmy Skunk and Mr.
Rabbit started to tell Mr. Coon, who was
cousin to old King Bear.

'^ On the way they met Hooty the Owl^
and because he could fly softly and
quickly, they sent Hooty the Owl to tell
all the meadow people who were awake
to come to the hollow chestnut tree. So
Hooty the Owl flew away to tell all the
little meadow people who were awake tc
meet at the hollow chestnut tree.

"' When they reached the hollow chest-
nut tree whom should they find there

DANNY MEADOW MOUSE 17

but Mr. Meadow Mouse fast asleep
beside the bag he had brought for Mr.
Wharf Rat, who had wisely stayed away.

'^ Very softly Striped Chipmunk stole
up and opened the bag. Out fell his store
of fat acorns. Then they waked Mr.
Meadow Mouse and marched him off to
old Mother Nature, where they charged
him with being a thief.

''Old Mother Nature listened to all
they ^ had to say. She saw the bag of
acorns and she heard how Mr. Meadow
Mouse had said that he had a plant-
ing of potatoes. Then she asked him
if he had stolen the acorns. Yes, Sir,
she asked him right out if he had stolen
the acorns.

'' Of course Mr. Meadow Mouse said
that he had not stolen the acorns.

" ' Then where did you get the bag of
acoras? ' asked old Mother Nature.

" When she asked this, Mr. Wharf Rat,

18 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

who was sitting in the crowd of meadow
people, got up and softly tiptoed away
when he thought no one was looking.
But old Mother Nature saw him. You
can't fool old Mother Nature. No, Sir,
you can't fool old Mother Nature, and
it's of no use to try.

^' Mr. Meadow Mouse didn't know
what to say. He knew now that Mr.
^Wharf Rat must be the thief, but Mr.
Wharf Rat was his cousin, and he had
always looked up to him as a very fine
gentleman. He couldn't tell the world
that Mr. Wharf Rat was a thief. So Mr.
Meadow Mouse said nothing.

'' Three times old Mother Nature
asked Mr. Meadow Mouse where he
got the bag of acorns, and each time
Mr. Meadow Mouse said nothing.

'' ' Mr. Meadow Mouse,' said old
Mother Nature, and her voice was very
stem, ' I know that you did not steal the

DANNY MEADOW MOUSE 19

acorns of Striped Chipmunk. I know
that you did not even guess that there
were stolen acorns in that bag. Every-
one else thinks that you are the thief
who caused so much trouble on the Green
Meadows and in the Green Forest. But
I know who the real thief is and he is
stealing away as fast as he can go down
the Lone Little Path tLis very minute.'

^^ All of the little meadow people and
forest folks turned to look down the Lone
Little Path, but it was so dark none could
see, none but Hooty the Owl, whose eyea
are made to see in the dark.

'''I see him!' cried Hooty the Owl..
'It'sMr. Wharf Rat!'

'' ' Yes,' said old Mother Nature, ' it's
Mr. Wharf Rat — he is the thief. And
this shall be his punishment: Always
hereafter he will be driven out wherever
he is found. He shall no longer live in
the Green Meadows or the Green Forest.

20 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

Everyone will turn their backs upon him.
He will live on w^hat others throw away.
He will live in filth and there will be no
one to say a good word for him. He will
become an outcast instead of a fine
gentleman.'

'' ' And you, Mr. Meadow Mouse, in
order that you may remember always to
avoid bad company, and that while it
is a splendid thing to be loyal to your
friends and not to tell tales, it is also a
very, very wrong thing to shield those
who have done wrong when by so doing
you simply help them to keep on doing
wrong — you shall no longer have the
splendid long tail of which you are so
proud, but it shall be short and stubby/

" Even while old Mother Nature w^as
speaking, Mr. Meadow Mouse felt his
tail grow shorter and shorter, and when
she had finished he had just a little mean
stub of a tail.

DANNY MEADOW MOUSE 21

'' Of course he felt terribly. And while
Striped Chipmunk hurried to tell him how
sorry he felt, and while all the other little
meadow people also hurried to tell him
how sorry they felt, he could not be com-
forted. So he slipped away as quickly
as he could, and because he was so
ashamed he crept along underneath the
long grass that no one should see his
short tail. And ever since that long ago
time when the world was young,'^ con-
cluded Grandfather Frog, ^^ the Meadow
Mice have had short tails and have always
scurried along under cover of the long
grass where no one will see them. And
the Wharf Rats have never again lived
in the Green Meadows or in the Green
Forest, but have lived on filth and gar-
bage around the homes of men, with
every man's hand against them/'

" Thank you, Grandfather Frog,'' said
Danny Meadow Mouse, very soberly.

22 MOTH'ER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN"

'' Now I understand why my tail is short
and I shall not forget/'

'' But it isn't your fault at all, Danny
Meadow Mouse/' cried the Merry Little
Breezes, who had been listening, ^^ and
we love you just as much as if your tail
was long! ''

Then they played tag with him all the
way up the Lone Little Path to his house,
till Danny Meadow Mouse quite forgot
that he had wished that his tail was long.

n

WHY REDDY FOX HAS NO FRIENDS

II

WHY REDDJiFOX HAS NO FRIENDS

thenJ and,
theml with'
long tehe
Mothfer West

Meadows lay peaceful

Mother Moon, saihng

ead, looked down upon

and smiled, flooding

very light. All day

Little Breezes of Old

ind had romped there

among the a3tei?\and goldenrod. They

had played :ag^ through the cat rushes
around the Soling Pool. For very mis-
chief they had rubbed the fur of the Field
Mice babies the wrong way and had
blown a fat green fly right out of Grand-
father Frog's mouth just as his lips came
together with a smack. Now they were
safely tucked in bed behind the Purple

26 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

Hills, and so they missed the midnight
feast at the foot of the Lone Pine.

But Reddy Fox was there. You can
always count on Reddy Fox to be about
when mischief or good times are afoot,
especially after Mr. Sun has pulled his
nightcap on.

Jimmy Skunk was there. If there is
any mischief Reddy Fox does not think of
Jimmy Skunk will be sure to discover it.

Billy Mink was there. Yes indeed,
Billy Mink was there! Billy Mink is
another mischief maker. WTien Reddy
Fox and Jimmy Skunk are pla\4ng pranks
or in trouble of any kind you are certain
to find Billy Mink close by. That is,
you are certain to find him if you look
sharp enough. But Billy Mink is so
slim, he moves so quickly, and his wits
are so sharp, that he is not seen half so
often as the others.

With Billv Mink came his cousin,

REDDY FOX HAS NO FRIENDS 27

Shadow the Weasel, who is sly and cruel
No one likes Shadow the Weasel.

Little Joe Otter and Jerry Muskrat
came. They were late, for the legs of
Little Joe Otter are so short that he is a
slow traveler on land, while Jerry Musk-
rat feels much more at home in the water
than on the dry ground.

Of course Peter Rabbit was there.
Without him no party on the Green
Meadows would be complete, and Peter
likes to be abroad at night even better
than by day. With Peter came his
cousin, Jumper the Hare, who had come
down from the Pine Forest for a visit.

Boomer the Nighthawk and Hooty the
Owl completed the party, though Hooty
had not been invited and no one knew
that he was there.

Each was to contribute something to
the feast — the thing that he liked best.
Such an array as Mother Moon looked

28 IfOTHEB WEST W>«n>S CHJLDEEM

down upon: Reddy Fos had bcougjbfc
a pinrnp, tender fhirkra, stolen bom
Flumer Bnmn's doofymnL

Voy quietiy, like a thin, brown shadow,
BiDy Mink had sBpfied op to the duck
pond and — alas! Now Mother Quack
had one less in her ptetXy Gttle flock than
when as joO^, roond, led Mr. Sun vent
to bed behind the Purple Hills, she had
eoonted her balMes as they tucked their
hea^ under their wings.

little Joe Otter had been fehing and
he Ixou^t a ereat Cat brother of the
lamented Tammy Tkoot^ who didn't

Jeny Mi^iat broi^t op from the
mod of the river bottom some fine {nsh
water dams, of which he is very fond.

Jimmy Skunk stole three b^ eggs from
the nest of old Gray Goose.

Peter Babbit and Jumper the Ebre
railed op a great, tender, fiesh ^■^M'^pf

KEOr^r rOX HAS NO FRIENDS 29

Boomer the Nighthawk said that he
was very sorry, but he was on a diet of
insects, which he must swallow one at a
time, so to save trouble he had swallowed
them as he caught them.

Now Hooty the Owl is a glutton and is
lazy. '' Reddy Fox and Jimmy Skunk
and Billy Mink are sure to bring some-
think I like, so what is the use of spending
my time hunting for what someone else
will get for me? '^ said he to himself. So
Hooty the Owl went very early to the
Lone Pine and hid among the thick
branches where no one could see him.

Shadow the Weasel is sly and a thief
and lives by his wits. So because he had
rather steal than be honest, he too went
to the midnight spread with nothing but
his appetite.

Now Reddy Fox is also a glutton and
very, very crafty. When he saw the
plump duck brought by Billy Mink, his

80 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHfLDREN

mouth watered, for Reddy Fox is very,
very fond of young spring ducks. So
straightway he began to plan how he
could get possession of Billy Mink's
duck.

And when Billy Mink saw the fat
trout Little Joe Otter had brought, his
eyes danced and his heart swelled with
envy, for Billy Mink is ver\% very fond of
fish. At once he began to plan how he
could secure that particular fat trout
Little Joe Otter guarded so carefully.

Jimmy Skunk was quite contented with
the eggs he had stolen from old Gray
Goose — that is, he was until he saw the
plump chicken Reddy Fox had brought
from Farmer Brown's dooryard. Then
suddenly his stomach became very empty,
ver>' empty indeed for chicken, and
Jimmy Skunk began to think of a way to
add the chicken of Reddy Fox to his own
stolen egg2>.

REDDY FOX HAS NO FRIENDS 31

Because Reddy Fox is the largest he
was given the place of honor at the head
of the table under the Lone Pine. On
his right sat Little Joe Otter and on his
left Jerry Muskrat. Shadow the Weasel
was next to Little Joe Otter, while right
across from him was Jimmy Skunk. Peter
Rabbit was next, sitting opposite his
cousin. Jumper the Hare. At the ex-
treme end, facing Reddy Fox, sat Billy
Mink, with the plump duck right under
his sharp little nose.

Boomer the Nighthawk excused him-
self on the plea that he needed exercise
to aid digestion, and as he had brought
nothing to the feast, his excuse was
politely accepted.

Reddy Fox is very, very cunning, and
his crafty brain had been busily working
out a plan to get all these good things for
himself. ^^ Little brothers of the Green
Meadows/' began Reddy Fox, ^^ we have

32 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

met here to-night for a feast of brotherly
love/'

Reddy Fox paused a moment to look
hungrily at Billy Mink's duck. Billy
Mink cast a longing eye at Little Joe
Otter's trout, while Jimmy Skunk stole
an envious glance at Reddy Fox's chicken.

*' But there is one missing to make our
joy complete/' continued Reddy Fox.
*' Who has seen Bobby Coon? "

No one had seen Bobby Coon. Some-
how happy-go-lucky Bobby Coon had
been overlooked when the invitations
were sent out.

'* I move/' continued Reddy Fox,
'^ that because Billy Mink runs swiftly,
and because he knows where Bobby Coon
usually is to be found, he be appointed a
committee of one to find Bobby Coon and
bring him to the feast."

Now nothing could have been less to
the liking of Billy Mink, but there was

TilLsDDr -ro?: TIAS NO FRIENDS 33

nothing for him to do but to yield as
gracefully as he could and go in search
of Bobby Coon.

No sooner had Billy Mink disappeared
down the Lone Little Path than Reddy
Fox recalled a nest of grouse eggs he had
seen that day under a big hemlock, and
he proposed that inasmuch as Jimmy
Skunk already wore stripes for having
stolen a nest of eggs from Mrs. Grouse,
he was just the one to go steal these eggs
and bring them to the feast.

Of course there was nothing for Jimmy
Skunk to do but to yield as gracefully as
he could and go in search of the nest of
eggs under the big hemlock.

No sooner had Jimmy Skunk started
off than Reddy Fox remembered a big
shining sucker Farmer Brown's boy had
caught that afternoon and tossed among
the rushes beside the Smiling Pool.
Little Joe Otter listened and his mouth

54 MOTHfc,^ >TES'r WIND'S CHILDREN-

watered and watered until he could sit
still no longer. '^ If you please/^ said
Little Joe Otter, '' Til run down to the
Smiling Pool and get that sucker to add
to the feast.''

No sooner was Little Joe Otter out of
sight than Reddy Fox was reminded of a
field of carrots on the other side of the
Green Meadows. Now Peter Rabbit
and Jumper the Hare are very fond of
tender young carrots and they volun-
teered to bring a supply for the feast.
So away they hurried with big jumps
down the Lone Little Path and out
across the Green Meadows.

No sooner were Peter Rabbit and
Jumper the Hare fairly started than
Reddy Fox began to tell of some luscious
sweet apples he had noticed under a
wild apple tree a little way back on the
hill. Now Jerry Muskrat is quite as
fond of luscious sweet apples as of fresh-

TtEDDY FOX HAS :s-0 FRIENDS 33

water clams, so quietly slipping away, he
set out in quest of the wild apple tree a
little way back on the hill.

No sooner was Jerry Muskrat lost in
the black shadows than Reddy Fox
turned to speak to Shadow the Weasel.
But Shadow the Weasel believes that a
feast in the stomach is w^orth two ban-
quets untasted, so while the others had
been talking, he had quietly sucked dry
the three big eggs stolen by Jimmy
Skunk from old Gray Goose, and then
because he is so slim and so quick and so
sly, he slipped away without anyone
seeing him.

So when Reddy Fox turned to speak
to Shadow the Weasel, he found himself
alone. At least he thought himself alone,
and he smiled a wdcked, selfish smile as
he walked over to Billy Mink's duck.
He was thinking how smart he had
been to get rid of all the others, and

36 MOTHFR WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

of how he would enjoy the feast all by
himself.

As Reddy Fox stooped to pick up
Billy Mink^s duck, a great shadow
dropped softly, oh so softly, out of the
Lone Pine down onto the plump chicken.
Then without the teeniest, weeniest
bit of noise, it floated back into the
Lone Pine and with it went the plump
chicken.

Reddy Fox, still with his wicked, self-
ish smile, trotted back with Billy Mink^s
duck, but he dropped it in sheer surprise
when he discovered that his plump
chicken had disappeared. Now Reddy
Fox is very suspicious, as people who are
not honest themselves are very apt to
be. So he left Billy Mink's duck where
he had dropped it and trotted verj'-, very
softly up the Lone Little Path to try to
catch the thief who had stolen his piump
chicken.

REDDY FOX HAS NO FRIENDS 37

No sooner was his back turned than
down out of the Lone Pine floated the
great shadow, and when a minute later
Reddy Fox returned, Billy Mink's duck
had also disappeared.

Reddy Fox could hardly believe his
eyes. He didn't smile now. He was too
angry and too frightened. Yes, Reddy
Fox was frightened. He walked in a big
circle round and round the place where
the plump chicken and the duck had been,
and the more he walked, the more sus-
picious Le became. He wrinkled and
wrinkled his little black nose in an effort
to smell the intruder, but not a whiff
could he get. All was as still and peace-
ful as could be. Little Joe Otter's trout
lay shining in the moonlight. The big
head of cabbage lay just where Peter
Rabbit and Jumper the Hare had left it.
Reddy Fox rubbed his eyes to make sure
that he was not dreaming and that the

38 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

plump chicken and the duck were not
there too.

Just then Bowser the Hound, over at
Farmer lirowns, bayed at the moon.
Keddy Fox always is nervous and by this
time he was so fidgety that he couldn't
stand still. When Bowser the Hound
bayed at the moon Reddy Fox jumped
a foot off the ground and whirled about
in the direction of Farmer Brown's house.
Then he remembered that Bowser the
Hound is always chained up at night, so
that he had nothing to fear from him.

After listening and looking a moment
Reddv Fox decided that all was safe.
" Well." said he to himself, " I'll have
that fat trout anyway," and turned to
get it.

But the fat trout he had seen a minute
before shining in the moonlight had also
disappeared. Beddv Fox looked and
looked until his eyes nearly popped out

REDDT FOX HAS NO FRIENDS 39

of his head. Then he did what all
cowards do — ran home as fast as his legs
could carry him.

Now of course Billy Mink didn't find
Bobby Coon, and when he came back up
the Lone Little Path he was very tired,
very hungry and very cross. And of
course Jimmy Skunk failed to find the
nest of Mrs. Grouse, and Little Joe Otter
could find no trace of the shining big
sucker among the rushes beside the
Smiling Pool. They also were very tired,
very hungry and very cross.

When the three returned to the Lone
Pine and found nothing there but the
big head of cabbage, which none of them
liked, the empty egg shells of old Gray
Goose and Jerry Muskrat's clams, they
straightway fell to accusing each other of
having stolen the duck and the fat trout
and the eggs and began to quarrel dread*
fully.

10 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

Pretty soon up came Peter Rabbit and
Jumper the Hare, who had failed to find
the tender young carrots. And up came
Jerry Muskrat, who had found no lus-
cious sweet apples.

" Where is Reddy Fox? '' asked Pet^
Rabbit.

Sure enough, where was Reddy Fox?
Billy Mink and Ldttle Joe Otter and
Jimmy Skunk stopped quarreling and
looked at each other.

" Reddy Fox is the thief! '^ they cried
an together.

Peter Rabbit and Jumper the Hare and
Jerry ^^luskrat agreed that Reddy Fox
must be the thief, and had sent them all
away on false errands that he might have
the feast all to himself.

So because there was nothing else to
do, Billy !\fink and Little Joe Otter,
tired and hungry and angr\% started for
their homes beside the Laughing Brook.

REDDY FOX HAS NO FRIENDS^ 41

And Jimmy Skunk, also tired and hungry
and angry, started off up the Crooked
Little Path to look for some beetles.

But Peter Rabbit and Jumper the Hare
sat dowTi to enjoy the big head of cabbage,
while close beside them sat Jerry Musk-
rat smacking his lips over his clams, they
tasted so good. Mother Moon looked
down and smiled and smiled, for she knew
that each had a clear conscience, for
they had done no harm to anyone.

And up in the thick top of the great
pine Hooty the Owl nodded sleepily,
for his stomach was very full of chicken
and duck and trout, although he had not
been invited to the party.

And this is why Reddy Fox has no true
friends on the Green Meadows.

ni

WHY PETER RABBIT'S EARS ARE LONG

Ill

WHY PETER RABBIT^S EARS ARE LONG

THE Merry Little Breezes of Old
Mother West Wind were tired.
Ever since she had turned them
out of her big bag onto the Green
Meadows early that morning they had
romped and played tag and chased
butterflies while Old Mother West Wind
herself went to hunt for a raincloud
which had wandered away before it had
watered the thirsty little plants who were
bravely trying to keep the Green Mead-
ows lovely and truly green. Jolly, round,
red Mr. Sun wore his broadest smile and
the more he smiled the warmer it grew.
Mr. Sun is never thirsty himself, never
the least little bit, or perhaps lie v/ould

46 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

have helped Old Mother West Wmd find
the wandering raincloud.

The Merry Little Breezes threw them-
selves down on the edge of the Smiling
Pool, where the rushes grow tall, and there
they took turns rocking the cradle which
held Mrs. Redwing^s four babies.

Pretty soon one of the Merry Little
Breezes, peeping through the rushes, spied
Peter Rabbit sitting up very straight on
the edge of the Green Meadows. His
long ears were pointed straight up, his
big eyes were very wide open and he
seemed to be looking and listening with a
great deal of curiosity.

^^ I wonder why it is that Peter Rab*
bit has such long ears/^ said the Merry
Little Breeze.

" Chug-a-rum! '' replied a great, deep
voice right behind him.

All the Merry Little Breezes jumped
up and ran through the rushes to the very

PETER RABBIT'S EAR« 47

edge of the Smiling Pool. There on a
great green hly pad sat Great-Grand-'
father Frog, his hands folded across his
white and yellow waistcoat and his green
coat shining spick and span.

^' Chug-a-rum/^ said Grandfather Frog.

'' Oh, Grandfather Frog/' cried the
Merry Little Breezes all together, " do
tell us why it is that Peter Rabbit has
such long ears.''

Grandfather Frog cleared his throat.
He looked to the east and cleared his
throat again. Then he looked to the west,
and cleared his throat. He looked north
and he looked south, and each time he
cleared his throat, but said nothing.
Finally he folded his hands once more
over his white and yellow waistcoat, and
looking straight up at jolly, round, red
Mr. Sun he remarked in his very deepest
voice and to no one in particular:

" If I had four fat, foolish, green flies.

48 MOTHER WEST WINDS CHILDREN

it is just possible that I might remember
how it happens that Peter Rabbit has
such long ears/^

Then up jumped all the Merry Little
Breezes and away they raced. Some of
them went east, some of them went west,
some of them went north, some of them
went south, all looking for fat, foolish,
green flies for Grandfather Frog.

By and by they came skipping back,
one by one, to the edge of the Smiling
Pool, each with a fat, foolish, green fly,
and each stopping to give Mrs. Red-
wing's cradle a gentle push.

When Grandfather Frog had swallowed
all the fat, foolish, green flies brought
by the Merry Little Breezes, he settled
himself comfortably on his big Uly pad
once more and began:

''Once upon a time, very long ago, when
the world was young, Mr. Rabbit — not
our Peter Rabbit, but his grandfather a

Mr. Rabbit had a great deal of curiosity, a very great
deal indeed.

thousand times removed — had short ears
like all the other meadow people, and
also his four legs were all of the same
length, just exactly the same length.

^^ Now Mr. Rabbit had a great deal of
curiosity, a very great deal, indeed. He
was forever pushing his prying little nose
into other people's affairs, which, you
know, is a most unpleasant habit. In
fact, Mr. Rabbit had become a nuisance.

^^ Whenever Billy Mink stopped to pass
the time of day with Jerry Muskrat they
were sure to find Mr. Rabbit standing
close by, listening to all they said. If
Johnny Chuck's mother ran over to have
a few minutes' chat with Jimmy Skunk's
mother, the first thing they knew Mr.
Rabbit would be squatting down in the
grass right behind them.

^^ The older he grew the worse Mr.
Rabbit became. He would spend his
evenings going from house to house,

50 MOTHER WEST WmD'S CHILDREN

tiptoeing softly up to the windows to
listen to what the folks inside were
saying. And the more he heard the more
Mr. Rabbit's curiosity grew.

^^ Now, like most people who meddle
in other folks' affairs, Mr. Rabbit had no
time to tend to his own business. His
cabbage patch grew up to weeds. His
house leaked, his fences fell to pieces, and
altogether his was the worst looking place
on the Green Meadows.

^^ Worse still, Mr. Rabbit was a trouble
maker. He just couldn't keep his tongue
still. And like most gossips, he never
could tell the exact truth.

^^ Dear me! dear me!'' said Grand-
father Frog, shaking his head solemnly.
'^ Things had come to a dreadful pass on
the Green Meadows. Reddy Fox and
Bobby Coon never met without fighting.
Jimmy Skunk and Johnny Chuck turned
their backs on each other. Jerry Muskrat^

PE>eB RABBIT'S EARS 51

Little Joe Otter, and Billy Mink called
each other bad names. All because Mr.
Rabbit had told so many stories that
were not true.

'^ Now when old Mother Nature visited
the Green Meadows she soon saw what a
dreadful state all the meadow people were
in, and she began to inquire how it all
came about.

'' ' It's all because of Mr. Rabbit/ said
Reddy Fox.

'' ' No one is to blame but Mr. Rab-
bit/ said Striped Chipmunk.

^' Everywhere old Mother Nature in-
quired it was the same — Mr. Rabbit,
Mr. Rabbit, Mr. Rabbit.

^^ So then old Mother Nature sent for
blustering great Mr. North Wind, who is
very strong. And she sent for Mr.
Rabbit.

'' Mr. Rabbit trembled in his shoes
when he got old Mother Nature's mes-

52 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN^

sage. He would have liked to run away
and hide. But he did not dare do that,
for he knew that there was nowhere he
could hide that Mother Nature would not
find him sooner or later. And besides,
his curiosity would give him no peace.
He just had to know what old Mother
Nature wanted.

^^ So Peter Rabbit put on his best suit,
which was very shabby, and set out for
the Lone Pine to see what old Mother
Nature wanted. When he got there, he
found all the little people of the Green
Meadows and all the little folks of the
Green Forest there before him. There
were Reddy Fox, Johnny Chuck, Striped
Chipmunk, Happy Jack Squirrel, Mr.
Black Snake, old Mr. Crow, Sammy Jay,
Billy Mink, Little Joe Otter, Jerry Musk-
rat, Spotty the Turtle, old King Bear, his
cousin, Mr. Coon, and all the other Uttle
people.

PETER RABBIT'S EARS 53

^' When he saw all who had gathered
under the Lone Pine, and how they all
looked crossly at him, Mr. Rabbit was
so frightened that his heart went pit-a-
pat, pit-a-pat, pit-a-pat, and he wanted
more than ever to run away. But he
didn't dare to. No, Sir, he didn't dare to.
And then he was so curious to know what
it all meant that he wouldn't have run if
he had dared.

'' Old Mother Nature made Mr. Rab-
bit sit up on an old log where all could see
him. Then in turn she asked each present
who was the cause of all the trouble on
the Green Meadows. And each in turn
answered ^ Mr. Rabbit.'

'''Mr. Rabbit,' said old Mother
Nature, ' you are lazy, for your cabbage
patch has all gone to weeds. You are
shiftless, for your house leaks. You are
a sneak, for you creep up where you are
not wanted and hsten to things which do

64 MOTHER WEST WINDS CHILDREN

not concern you. You are a thief, for
you steal the secrets of others. You
are a prevaricator, for you tell things
which are not so. Mr. Rabbit, you are
all these — a laz3% shiftless sneak, thief
and prevaricator.'

" It was dreadful. Mother Nature
paused, and Mr. Rabbit felt oh so
ashamed. He did not look up, but he
felt, he just fett, all the eyes of all the
little meadow people and forest folk
burning right into him. So he hung his
head and two great tears fell splash, right
at his feet. You see Mr. Rabbit wasn't
altogether bad. It was just this dreadful
curiosit3\

" Old ^Mother Nature knew this and
down in her heart she loved ^Ir. Rabbit
and was oh so sorrv for him.

" ' Mr. Rabbit,' continued old ^Mother
Nature, ^ because your curiosity is so
great, your ears shall be made long, that

PETER RABBIT'S EARS 55

every one who sees you .may know that it
is not safe to talk when you are near.
Because you are a sneak and steal up to
people unseen, your hind legs shall be
made long, so that whenever you sit up
straight you will be tall and every one
can see you, and whenever you run, you
will go with great jumps, and every one
will know who it is running away. And
because you are shiftless and your house
leaks, you will hereafter live in a hole
in the ground/

'' Then old Mother Nature took Mr.
Rabbit by his two ears and big, strong Mr.
North Wind took Peter Rabbit by his
hind legs, and they both pulled. And
when they put him down Peter Rabbit's
ears and his hind legs were long, many
times longer than they used to be.
When he tried to run away to hide his
shame, he found that the only way he
could go was with great jumps, and you

56 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

may be sure he jumped as fast as he
could.

'^ And ever since that long ago time,
when the world was young, rabbits have
had long ears and long hind legs, all
because of the curiosity of their grand-
father a thousand times removed. And
now you know why Peter Rabbit's ears
are long, and why he is always sit-
ting up and listening, '^ concluded Great-
Grandfather Frog.

^^ Thank you, thank you, Grandfather
Frog! '' shouted all the Merry Little
Breezes, and raced away to help old
Mother West Wind drive up the w^ander-
ing raincloud, which she had found at^
last.

IV

REDDY FOX DISOBEYS

IV

REDDY FOX DISOBEYS

ON the brow of the hill by the Lone
Pine sat Reddy Fox. Every few
moments he pointed his little
black nose up at the round, yellow moon
and barked. Way over across the broad
White Meadows, which in summer time
are green, you know, in the dooryard
of Farmer Brown's house, Bowser the
Hound sat and barked at the moon, too.

" Yap-yap-yap," barked Reddy Fox,
as loud as he could.

'' Bow-wow-wow, '^ said Bowser the
Hound in his deepest voice.

Then both would listen and watch the
million little stars twinkle and twinkle
in the frosty sky. Now just why Reddy

60 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

Fox should bark at the moon he did not
know. He just had to. Every night for
a week he had sat at the foot of the Lone
Pine and barked and barked until his
throat was sore. Every night old Mother
Fox had warned him that noisy children
would come to no good end, and every
night Reddy had promised that he would
bark no more. But every night when the
first silver flood of witching light crept
over the hill and cast strange shadows
from the naked branches of the trees,
Reddy forgot all about his promise.
Deep down under his little red coat was
a strange feeling which he could not ex-
plain. He simply must bark, so up to the
Lone Pine he would go and yap and yap
and yap, until all the little meadow
people who were not asleep knew just
where Reddy Fox was.

Bowser the Hound knew, too, and he
made ud his mind that Reddy Fox was

EEDDY FOX DISOBEYS 61

making fun of him. Now Bowser did not
like to be made fun of any more than
little boys and girls do, and he made up
his mind that if ever he could break his
chain, or that if ever Farmer Brown for-
got to chain him up, he would teach
Reddy Fox a lesson that Reddy would
never forget.

'' Yap-yap-yap," barked Reddy Fox,
and then listened to hear Bowser^s deep
voice reply. But this time there was no
reply. Reddy listened, and listened, and
then tried it again. Way off on a distant
hill he could hear Hooty the Owl. Close
by him Jack Frost was busy snapping
sticks. Down on the White Meadows he
could see Jimmy Skunk prowhng about.
Once he heard a rooster crow sleepily
in Farmer Brown's hen-house, but he^
thought of Bowser the Hound, and
though his mouth watered, he did not
dare risk a closer acquaintance with the

62 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

Ag dog. So he sat still and barked, and
pretty soon he forgot all else but the
moon and the sound of his own voice.

Now Bowser the Hound had man-
aged to slip his collar. '^ Aha/' thought
Bowser, ^^ now I'll teach Reddy Fox to
make fun of me,'' and hke a shadow he
slipped through the fence and across the
White Meadov^^s towards the Lone Pine.

Reddy Fox had just barked for the
hundreth time when he heard a twig
crack just back of him. It had a different
sound from the noisy crack of Jack
Frost, and Reddy stopped a yap right in
the middle and whirled about to see what
it might be. There was Bowser the
Hound almost upon him, his eyes flashing
fire, his great, red jaws wide open, and
every hair on his back bristling with
rage.

Reddy Fox didn't wait to say " Good
evening," or to see more. Oh, no! He

turned a back somersault and away he
sped over the hard, snowy crust as fast
as his legs could carry him. Bowser
baying at the moon he liked to hear, but
Bowser baying at his heels was another
matter, and Reddy ran as he had never
run before. Down across the White
Meadows he sped, Bowser frightening all
the echoes with the roar of his big voice
as he followed in full cry.

How Reddy did wish that he had
minded Mother Fox! How safe and snug
and warm was his home under the roots
of the old hickory tree, and how he did
wish that he was safely there! But it
would never do to go there now, for that
would tell Bowser where he lived, and
Bowser would take Farmer Brown there,
and that would be the end of Reddy Fox
and of Mother Fox and of all the brother
and sister foxes.

So Reddy twisted and turned, and ran

64 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

this way and ran that way, and the
longer he ran, the shorter his breath grew.
It was coming in great pants now. His
bushy tail, of which he was so proud, had
become very heavy. How Reddy Fox
did wish and wish that he had minded
Mother Fox! He twisted and turned, and
doubled this way and that way, and all
the time Bowser the Hound got closer
and closer.

Now way off on the hill behind the
White Meadows Mother Fox had been
hunting for her supper. She had heard
the ^^ Yap-yap-yap '^ of Reddy Fox as
he barked at the moon, and she had heard
Bowser baying over in the barnyard of
Farmer Brown. Then she had heard the
" yap ^^ of Reddy Fox cut short in the
middle and the roar of Bowser's big
voice as he started to chase Reddy Fox.
She knew that Reddy could run fast,
but she also knew that Bowser the Hound

REDDY FOX DISOBEYS 65

had a wonderful nose, and that Bowser
would never give up. So Mother Fox
pattered down the Crooked Little Path
onto the White Meadows, where she
^ould see the chase. When she got near
enough, she barked twice to tell Reddy
that she would help him.

Now Reddy Fox was so tired that he
was almost in despair when he heard
Mother Fox bark. But he knew that
Mother Fox was so wise, and she had so
often fooled Bowser the Hound, that if
he could hold out just a little longer she
would help him. So for a few minutes
he ran faster than ever and he gained a
long way on Bowser the Hound. As he
passed a shock of corn that had been left
standing on the White Meadows, Mother
Fox stepped out from behind it. ^^ Go
home, Reddy Fox,^^ said she, sharply,
^^^ go home and stay there until I come.''
Then she deliberately sat down in front

66 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

of the shock of corn to wait until Bowser
the Hound should come in sight.

Now Bowser the Hound kept his eyes
and nose on the track of Reddy Fox,
looking up only once in a while to see
where he was going, so he did not see
Reddy Fox shp behind the corn shock,
and when he did look up, he saw only
Mother Fox sitting there waiting for him.

Now Bowser the Hound thinks slowly.
When he saw old Mother Fox sitting
there, he did not stop to think that it
was not Reddy Fox whom he had been
following, or he would have known
better than to waste his time following
old Mother Fox. He would have just
hunted around until he had found where
Reddy had gone to. But Bowser the
Hound thinks slowly. When he saw old
Mother Fox sitting there, he thought it
was Reddy Fox and ihat now he had him.

With a great roar of his big voice, he

REDDY FOX DISOBEYS 6?

sprang forward. Mother Fox waited
until he was ahnost upon her, then
springing to one side, she trotted off a
little way. At once Bowser the Hound
started after her. She pretended to be
very tired. Every time he rushed for-
ward she managed to just slip out of his
grasp.

Little by little she led him across the
White Meadows back towards Farmer
Brown's barnyard. Pretty soon old
Mother Fox began to run as fast as she
could, and that is very fast indeed. She
left Bowser the Hound a long, long way
behind. When she came to a stone wall
she jumped up on the stone wall and ran
along it, just like a squirrel. Every once
in a while she would make a long jump
and then trot along a little way again.
She knew that stones do not carry the
scent well, and that Bowser the Hound
would have hard work to smell her on the

68 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREX

stone wall. Way dowTi at the end of the
pasture an old apple tree stretched a long
limb out towards the stone wall. When
she got opposite to this she jumped onto
this long limb and ran up into the tree.
There in the crotch, close to the trunk,
she sat and watched.

Bowser the Hound, making a tre-
mendous noise, followed her trail up to
the stone wall. Then he was puzzled.
He sniffed this way, and he sniffed that
way, but he could not tell where ^lother
Fox had disappeared to. He looked up
at old Mother ]\Ioon and bayed and
bayed, but old Mother ]\Ioon did not
help him a bit. Then he jumped over
the stone wall and looked, and looked,
and smelled, and smeUed, but no track
of Mother Fox could he find. Then he
ran up along the stone wall a little way,
and then down along the stone wall a'
little way, but still he could not find a

KEDDY FOX DISOBEYS 69

track of Mother Fox. The longer he
hunted, the angrier he grew.

Old Mother Fox, sitting in the apple
tree, watched him and laughed and
laughed to herself. Then when she grew
tired of watching him, she made a long
jump out into the field and trotted off
home to punish Reddy Fox for his dis-
obedience. When she got there she found
Reddy Fox very much ashamed, very
tired and very sorrowful, and since that
tune Reddy Fox has never barked at the
moon.

V
6TRIPED CHIPMUNK'S POCKETS

STRIPED chipmunk's POCKETS

IT was one of Striped Chipmunk's busy
days. Every day is a busy day with
Striped Chipmunk at this season of
the year, for the sweet acorns are ripe and
the hickory nuts rattle down whenever
Old Mother West Wind shakes the
trees, while every night Jack Frost
opens chestnut burrs just to see the
squirrels scamper for the plump brown
nuts the next morning.

So Striped Chipmunk was very busy,
very busy indeed! He whisked in and
out of the old stone wall along one edge
of the Green Meadows. Back and forth,
back and forth, sometimes to the old

74 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

hickorj^ tree, sometimes to the hollow
chestnut tree, sometimes to the great
oak on the edge of the Green Forest
Striped Chipmunk scampered.

Old Mother West Wind, coming down
from the Purple Hills very early in the
morning, had found Striped Chipmunk
up before her and hard at work. Later,
when jollj'-, round, red Mr. Sun had
climbed up into the sky, the Merry Little
Breezes had spied Striped Chipmunk
whisking along the old stone wall and
had raced over to play with him, for the
Meny^ Little Breezes are very fond of
Striped Chipmunk. They got there just
in time to see him disappear under a
great stone in the old wall. In a minute
he was out again and off as fast as he
could go to the old hickorj^ tree.

'' Oh, Striped Chipmunk, come play
with us,'' shouted the Merry Little
Breezes, running after him.

STRIPED CHIPMUNK'S POCKETS 75

But Striped Chipmunk just flirted his
funny little tail and winked with both his
bright eyes at them.

^^ Busy! busy! busy! ^^ said Striped
Chipmunk, hurrying along as fast as his
short legs could take him.

The Merry Little Breezes laughed,
and one of them, dancing ahead, pulled^
the funny little tail of Striped Chip-
munk.

^^ It^s a beautiful day; do come and
play with us,'^ cried the Merry Little
Breeze.

But Striped Chipmunk flirted his tail
over his back once more.

^^ Busy! busy! busy! ^^ he shouted over
his shoulder and ran faster than ever.

In a few minutes he was back again,
but such a queer-looking fellow as he
was! His head was twice as big as it had
been before and you would hardly have
known that it was Striped Chipmunk

76 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

but for the saucy way he twitched his
funny Httle tail and the spry way he
scampered along the old stone wall.

^' Oh, Striped Chipmunk's got the
mumps! '' shouted the Merry Little
Breezes.

But Striped Chipmunk said never a
word. He couldn't. He ran faster than
ever until he disappeared under the big
stone. When he popped his head out
again he was just his usual saucy Uttle
self.

^^ Say, Striped Chipmunk/' cried the
Merry Little Breezes, rushing over to
him, ^^ tell us how you happen to ha vet
pockets in your cheeks."

But Striped Chipmunk just snapped his
bright eyes at them and said ^^ Busy I
busy! busy! " as he scuttled over to the
hollow chestnut tree.

The Merry Little Breezes saw that it
was no use at all to try to tempt Striped

STRIPED CHIPMUNK'S POCKETS 77

Chipmunk to play with them or to
answer questions.

^^ I tell you what/^ cried one, '^ let^s
go ask Great-Grandfather Frog how
Striped Chipmunk happens to have
pockets in his cheeks. He'll know.'^

So away they started, after they had
raced over to the big hollow chestnut
tree and sent a shower of brown nuts
rattling down to Striped Chipmunk from
the burrs that Jack Frost had opened the
night before.

'^ Good-bye, Striped Chipmunk, ^^ they
shouted as they romped across the Green
Meadows. And Striped Chipmunk
stopped long enough to shout ^^ Good-
bye '' before he filled his pockets with the
brown nuts.

Old Grandfather Frog sat on his big
green lily pad blinking in the sun. It was
very still, very, very still indeed. Sud-
denly out of the brown bulrushes burst

78 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

the Merry Little Breezes and surrounded
old Grandfather Frog. And every one
of them had brought to him a fat, fool-
ish, green fly.

Grandfather's big goggly eyes sparkled
and he gave a funny little hop up into the
air as he caught each foolish green fly.
When the last one was safely inside his
white and yellow waistcoat he settled
himself comfortably on the big green
lily pad and folded his hands over the
foolish green flies.

^^ Chug-a-rum! '^ said Grandfather
Frog. ^^ What is it you want this morn-
ing? ^^

'' Oh, Grandfather Frog/' cried the
Merry Little Breezes, ^^ tell us how it
happens that Striped Chipmunk has
pockets in his cheeks. Do tell us, Grand-
father Frog. Please do! ''

^' Chug-a-rum/' said Grandfather Frog.
" How should I know? ''

STRIPED CHIPMUNK'S POCKETS 79

'^ But you do know, Grandfather Frog,
you know you do. Please tell us! ^^ cried
the Merry Little Breezes as they settled
themselves among the rushes.

And presently Grandfather Frog began :

'^ Once upon a time — a long, long
while ago — ^^

^^ When the world was young? " asked
a mischievous little Breeze.

Grandfather Frog pretended to be very
much put out by the interruption, and
tried to look very severe. But the Merry
Little Breezes were all gigghng, so that
presently he had to smile too.

'^ Yes,'' said he, ^^ it was when the world
was young, before old King Bear
became king. Mr. Chipmunk, Striped
Chipmunk's great - great - great - grand-
father a thousand times removed, wa&
the smallest of the squirrels, just as
Striped Chipmunk is now. But he
didn^t mind that, not the least little bit.

80 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

Mr. Gray Squirrel was four times as big
and had a handsome tail, Mn Fox Squir-
rel was four times as big and he also had
a handsome tail, Mr. Red Squirrel was
twice as big and he thought his tail was
very good to see. But Mr. Chipmunk
didn^t envy his big cousins their fine
tails; not he! You see he had himself a
beautiful striped coat of which he was
very proud and which he thought much
more to be desired than a big tail.

^' So Mr. Chipmunk went his way
happy and contented and he was such a
merry little fellow and so full of fun and
cut such funny capers that everybody
loved Mr. Chipmunk.

'^ One day, when the nights were cool
and all the trees had put on their brilliant
colors, old Mother Nature sent word
down across the Green Meadows that
every squirrel should gather for her and
store away until she came a thousand

STRIPED CHIPMUNK'S POCKETS 81

nuts. Now the squirrels had grown fat
and lazy through the long summer, all
but Mr. Chipmunk, who frisked about
so much that he had no chance to grow
fat.

^^ Mr. Gray Squirrel grumbled. Mr.
Fox Squirrel grumbled. Mr. Red Squir-
rel grumbled. But they didn^t dare dis-
obey old Mother Nature, so they all set
out, each to gather a thousand nuts.
And Mr. Chipmunk alone was pleasant
and cheerful.

'^ When they reached the nut trees,
what do you suppose they discovered?
Why, that they had been so greedy that
they had eaten most of the nuts and it
was going to be hard work to find and
store a thousand nuts for old Mother
Nature. Then they began to hurry, did
Mr. Gray Squirrel and Mr. Fox Squirrel
and Mr. Red Squirrel, each trjing to
make sure of his thousand nuts. They

82 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

quarreled and they fought over the nuts
on the ground and even up in the trees.
And because they were so big and so
strong, they pushed Mr. Chipmunk this
way and they pushed him that way and
often just as he was going to pick up a
fat nut one of them would knock him
over and make off with the prize.

'^ Poor Mr. Chipmunk kept his temper
and was as polite as ever, but how he
did work! His cousins are great climbers
and could get the nuts still left on the
trees, but Mr. Chipmunk is a poor
climber, so he had to be content with
those on the ground. Of course he could
carry only one nut at a time and his legs
were so short that he had to run as
fast as ever he could to store each nut
in his secret store-house and get back for
another. And while the others quarreled
and fought, he hurried back and forth,
back and forth, from early morning unti?.

STRIPED CHIPMUNK'S POCKETS 83

jolly, round, red Mr. Sun pulled his night
cap on behind the Purple Hills, hunting
for nuts and putting them away in his
secret store-house.

^^ But the nuts grew scarcer and scarcer
on the ground and harder to find, for
the other squirrels were picking them up
too, and then they did not have so far to
carry them.

^^ Sometimes one of his cousins up in the
trees would drop a nut, but Mr. Chip-
munk never would take it, not even when
he was having hard work to find any,
' for,' said he to himself, ^ if my cousiu
drops a nut, it is his nut just the same.'

" Finally Mr. Gray Squirrel announced
that he had got his thousand nuts. Then
Mr. Fox Squirrel announced that he had
got his thousand nuts. The next day Mr.
Hed Squirrel stopped hunting because he
had his thousand nuts.

" But Mr. Chipmunk had hardly more

84 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

than half as many. And that night he
made a dreadful discovery — some one
had found his secret store-house and had
stolen some of his precious nuts.

'^ ' It's of no use to cry over what can't
be helped/ said Mr. Chipmunk, and the
next morning he bravely started out
again. He had worked so hard that he
had grown thinner and thinner until now
he was only a shadow of his old self.
But he was as cheerful as ever and kept
right on hunting and hunting for stray
nuts. Mr. Gray Squirrel and Mr. Fox
Squirrel and Mr. Red Squirrel sat around
and rested and made fun of him. Way
up in the tops of the tallest trees a few
nuts still clung, but his cousins did not
once offer to go up and shake them down
for Mr. Chipmunk.

'^ And then old Mother Nature came
down across the Green Meadows. First
Mr. Gray Squirrel took her to his store-

STRIPED CHIPMUNK'S POCKETS 85

house and she counted his thousand nuts.
Then Mr. Fox Squirrel led her to his store-
house and she counted his thousand nuts.
Then Mr. Red Squirrel showed her his
store-house and she counted his thousand
nuts.

^^ Last of all Mr. Chipmunk led her to
his secret store-house and showed her
the pile of nuts he had worked so hard to
get. Old Mother Nature didn't need to
count them to see that there were not a
thousand there.

'^ ^ IVe done the best I could/ said Mr.
Chipmunk bravely, and he trembled all
over, he was so tired.

'^ Old Mother Nature said never a
word but went out on the Green Meadows
and sent the Merry Little Breezes to call
together all the little meadow people and
all the little forest folks. When they had
all gathered before her she suddenly
turned to Mr. Gray Squirrel.

86 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

'^ ' Go bring me a hundred nuts from
your store-house/ said she.

'^ Then she turned to Mr. Fox Squir-
rel.

'' ^ Go bring me a hundred nuts from
your store-house/ said she.

^' Last of all she called Mr. Red Squir-
rel out where all could see him. Mr. Red
Squirrel crept out very slowly. His
teeth chattered and his tail, of which he
was so proud, dragged on the ground, for
you see Mr. Red Squirrel had something
on his mind.

'' Then old Mother Nature told how
she had ordered each squirrel to get and
store for her a thousand nuts. She told
just how selfish Mr. Gray Squirrel and
Mr. Fox Squirrel had been. She told
just how hard Mr. Chipmunk had worked
and then she told how part of his precious
store had been stolen.

^^ ^ And there/ said old Mother Nature

STRIPED CHIPMUNK'S POCKETS 87

in a loud voice so that every one should
hear, ^ there is the thief! '

'' Then she commanded Mr. Red Squir-'
rel to go to his store -house and bring her
half of the biggest and best nuts he had
there!

'^ Mr. Red Squirrel sneaked off with
his head hanging, and began to bring the
nuts. And as he tramped back and forth,
back and forth, all the little meadow
people and all the little forest folks
pointed their fingers at him and cried
'Thief! Thief! Thief!'

'^ When all the nuts had been brought
to her by Mr. Gray Squirrel and Mr. Fox
Squirrel and Mr. Red Squirrel, old
Mother Nature gathered them all up
and put them in the secret store-house
of Mr. Chipmunk. Then she set Mr.
Chipmunk up on an old stump where all
could see him and she said:

'^ ' Mr. Chipmunk, because you have

tJS MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

been faithful, because you have been
cheerful, because you have done your
best, henceforth you shall have two
pockets, one in each cheek, so that you
can carry two nuts at once, that you may
not have to work so hard the next time
I tell you to store a thousand nuts.'

" And all the little meadow people and
all the little forest folks shouted ' Hurrah
for Air. Chipmunk!' All but his cousins,
Mr. Gray Squirrel and Mr. Fox Squirrel
and Mr. Red Squirrel, who hid them-
selves for shame.

" And ever smce that time long ago,
when the world was young, the Chip-
munks have had pockets in their
cheeks.

" You can't fool old Mother Nature,"
concluded Great-Grandfather Frog. ''Xo,
Sir, you can't fool old Mother Nature
and it's no use to try/'

^' Thank 3'OU, thank you," cried the

STRIPED CHIPMUNK'S POCKETS 89

Merry Little Breezes, clapping their
hands. Then they all raced across the
Green Meadows to shake down some more
nuts for Striped Chipmunk.

VI

REDDY FOX, THE BOASTER

VI

REDDY FOX, THE BOASTER

JOHNNY CHUCK waddled down
the Lone Little Path across the
Green Meadows. Johnny Chuck
was very fat and roUy-poly. His yellow
brown coat fitted him so snugly that it
seemed as if it must burst. Johnny
Chuck was feeling very happy — very
happy indeed, for you see Johnny Chuck
long ago found the best thing in the
world, which is contentment.

Jolly, round, red Mr. Sun, looking
down from the sky, smiled and smiled to
see Johnny Chuck waddling down the
Lone Little Path, for he loved the merry--
hearted little fellow, as do all the littk

94 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

meadow people — all but Reddy Fox,
for Reddy Fox has not forgotten the sur-
prise Johnny Chuck once gave him and
how he called him a '' 'fraid cat."

Once in a while Johnny Chuck stopped
to brush his coat carefully, for he is
very particular about his appearance, is
Johnny Chuck. By and by he came to
the old butternut tree down by the Smi-
ling Pool. He could see it a long time
before he reached it, and up in the top of
it he could see Blacky the Crow flapping
his wings and cawing at the top of his
voice.

^' There must be something going on,''
said Johnny Chuck to himself, and began
to waddle faster. He looked so very
queer when he tried to hurry that joUy^
round, red Mr. Sun smiled more than
ever.

When he was almost to the old butter-
nut tree Johnny Chuck sat up very

REDDY FOX, THE BOASTER 95

straight so that his head came just above
the tall meadow grasses beside the Lone
Little Path. He could see the jMerry
Little Breezes dancing and racing under
the old butternut tree and having such a
good time! And he could see the long
ears of Peter Rabbit standing up straight
above the tall meadow grasses. One of
the Merry Little Breezes spied Johnny
Chuck.

^^ Hurry up, Johnny Chuck! '' he
shouted, and Johnny Chuck hurried.

WTien he reached the old butternut
tree he was all out of breath. He was
puffing and blowing and he was so warm
that he wished just for a minute, a single
little minute, that he could swim like
Billy Mink and Jerry ]\Iuskrat and Little
Joe Otter, so that he could jump into the
Smiling Pool and cool off.

'' Hello, Johnny Chuck! '' shouted
Peter Rabbit.

96 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

'^ Hello yourself, and see how you like
it! ^' replied Johnny Chuck.

'' Hello myself! '' said Peter Rabbit.

And then because it was so very foolish
everybody laughed. It is a good thing to
feel foolishly happy on a beautiful sun-
shiny day, especially down on the Green
Meadows.

Jimmy Skunk was there. He was
feeling very, very good indeed, was
Jimmy Skunk, for he had found some
very fine beetles for his breakfast.

Little Joe Otter was there, and Billy
Mink and Jerry Muskrat and Happy Jack
Squirrel, and of course Reddy Fox was
there. Oh my, yes, of course Reddy Fox
was there! Reddy Fox never misses a
chance to show off. He was wearing his
very newest red coat and his whitest
waistcoat. He had brushed his tail till
it looked very handsome, and every few
minutes be would turn and admire it.

REDDY FOX, THE BOASTER 97

Reddy Fox thought himself a very fine
gentleman. He admired himself and he
wanted every one else to admire him.

^' Let's do stunts/^ said Peter Rabbit.
'^ I can jump farther than anybody here! ^'

Then Peter Rabbit jumped a tre-
mendously long jump. Then everybody
jumped, everybody but Reddy Fox.
Even Johnny Chuck jumped, and be-
cause he was so rolly-poly he tumbled
over and over and everybody laughed and
Johnny Chuck laughed loudest of all.

And because his hind legs are long and
meant for jumping Peter Rabbit had
jumped farther than any one else.

^^ I can chmb to the top of the old
butternut tree quicker than anybody
else/' cried Happy Jack Squirrel, and
away he started with Bobby Coon and
Billy Mink after him, for though Billy
Mink is a famous swimmer and can run
swiftly, he can also climb when he has to*

gS MOTHEK WEST WIND'S CHILDRETT

But Happy Jack Squirrel was at the top
of the old butternut tree almost before
the others had started.
I The Merry Little Breezes clapped their
hands and everybody shouted for Happy
Jack Squirrel, everybody but Reddy
Fox.

^^ I can swim faster than anybody
here/' shouted Little Joe Otter.

In a flash three little brown coats
splashed into the Smiling Pool so sud-
denly that they almost upset Great-
Grandfather Frog watching from his big
green lily pad. They belonged to Little
Joe Otter, Billy Mink and Jerry Muskrat.
Across the Smiling Pool and back again
they raced and Little Joe Otter was
first out on the bank.

'^ Hurrah for Little Joe Otter! '^ shouted
Blacky the Crow.

And everybody shouted '^ Hurrahl '^
Everybody but Reddy Fox.

REDDY FOX, THE BOASTER 99

^' What can you do, Jimmy Skunk? ''
asked Peter Rabbit, dancing up and down,
he was so excited.

Jimmy Skunk yawned lazily.

'^ I can throw a wonderful perfume
farther than anybody here," said Jimmy
Skunk.

'^ We know it! We know it! " shouted
the Merry Little Breezes as everybody
tumbled heels over head away from
Jimmy Skunk, even Reddy Fox. ^^ But
please don^t! "

And Jimmy Skunk didn't.

Then th^y all came back, Reddy Fox
carefully brushing his handsome red coat
which had become sadly mussed, he had
fled in such a hurry.

Now for the first time in his life Johnny
Chuck began to feel just a wee, wee bit
discontented. What was there he could
do better than any one else? He couldn't
lump and he couldn't o?^'mb and he

100 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN*

couldn't swim. He couldn't even run
fast, because he was so fat and round and
rolly-poly. He quite forgot that he
was so sunny-hearted and good-natured
that everj^body loved him, everj^body but
Reddy Fox.

Just then Reddy Fox began to boast,
for Reddy Fox is a great boaster.
'' Pooh! '' said Reddy Fox, '' pooh! Any-
body could jump if their legs were made
for jumping. And what's the good of
climbing trees anj^way? Now I can run
faster than anybody here — faster than
anybody in the whole world! " said Reddy
Fox, puffing himself out.

" Chug-a-rum," said Grandfather Frog.
'' You can't beat Spotty the Turtle."

Then everyone shouted and rolled
over and over in the grass, they were so
tickled, for every one remembered how
Spotty the Turtle had once won a race
from Reddy Fox.

REDDY rOX, THE BOASTER 10)

For a minute Reddy Fox looked very
foolish. Then he lost his temper, which
is a very unwise thing to do, for it is
hard to find again. He swelled himself
out until every hair stood on end and he
looked twice as big as he did before. He
strutted up and down and glared at each
in turn.

'^ And I^m not afraid of any living
thing on the Green Meadows! '^ boasted
Reddy Fox.

^^ Chug-a-rum/^ said Grandfather Frog.
'^ Do I see Bowser the Hound? ''

Every hair on Reddy Fox suddenly fell
back into place. He whirled about
nervously and anxiously looked over the
Green Meadows. Then everybody
shouted again and rolled over and over
in the grass and held on to their sides, for
you see Bowser the Hound wasn't there
at all.

But everybody took good care to keep

102 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

away from Reddy Fox, everybody but
Johnny Chuck. He just sat still and
chuckled and chuckled till his fat sides
shook.

'^ What are you laughing at? '^ de-
manded Reddy Fox.

'^ I was just thinking/^ said Johnny
Chuck, ^^ that though you can run so
fast, you can't even catch me.''

Reddy Fox just glared at him for a
minute, he was so mad. Then he sprang
straight at Johnny Chuck.

^' I'll show you! " he snarled.

Now Johnny Chuck had been sitting
close beside a hole that Grandfather
Chuck had dug a long time before and
which was empty. In a flash Johnny
Chuck disappeared head first in the hole.
Now the hole was too small for Reddy
Fox to enter, but he was so angry that
he straightway began to dig it larger.
My, how the sand did fly! It poured out

REDDT FOX, THE BOASTER 103'

behind Reddy Fox in a stream of shining
yellow.

Johnny Chuck ran down the long tun-
nel underground until he reached the
end. Then when he heard Reddy Fox
digging and knew that he was really
coming, Johnny Chuck began to dig, too,
only instead of digging down he dug up
towards the sunshine and the blue sky.

Aly, how his short legs did fly and his
stout little claws dug into the soft earth!
His little forepaws flew so fast that if you
had been there you could hardlj^ have
seen them at all. And with his strong
hind legs he kicked the sand right back
into the face of Reddy Fox.

All the Uttle meadow people gathered
around the hole where Johnnj^ Chuck and
Reddy Fox had disappeared. They were
very anxious, very anxious indeed. Would
Reddy Fox catch Johnny Chuck? And
what would he do to him? Was all their

104 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

fun to end in something terrible to sunny-
hearted, merry Johnny Chuck, whom
everybody loved?

All of a sudden, pop! right out of the
solid earth among the daisies and butter-
cups, just like a jack-in-the-box, came
Johnny Chuck! He looked very warm
and a little tired, but he was still chuck-
ling as he scampered across lo another
hole of Grandfather Chuck's.

By and by something else crawled out
of the hole Johnny Chuck had made.
Could it be Reddy Fox? Where were his
white waistcoat and beautiful red coat?
And was that thing dragging behind him
his splendid tail?

He crept out of the hole and then just
lay down and panted for breath. He was
almost too tired to move. Then he began
to spit sand out of his mouth and blow it
out of his nose and try to wipe it out of
bis eyes. The long hair of his fine coat

Then everybody shouted, "Haw! haw! haw!"

REDDY FOX, THE BOASTER 105

was filled full of sand and no one would
ever have guessed that this was Reddy Fox.

'' Haw! haw! haw! '' shouted Blacky
the Crow.

Then everybody shouted ^^ Haw! haw I
haw! ^^ and began to roll in the grass and
hold on to their sides once more; every-
body but Reddy Fox. When he could get
his breath he didn^t look this way or that
way, but just sneaked off to his home
under the big hickory.

And when Old Mother West Wind
came with her big bag to take the Merry
Little Breezes to their home behind the
Purple Hills, Johnny Chuck waddled
back up the Lone Little Path chuckling
to himself, for that little feeling of dis-
content was all gone. He had found that
after all he could do something better
than anybody else on the Green Meadows,
for in his heart he knew that none could
dig so fast as he.

VII

JOHNNY CHUCK'S SECRET

VII

JOHNNY CHUCK^S SECRET

JOHNNY CHUCK pushed up the last
bit of gravel from the hole he had
dug between the roots of the old
apple tree in a corner of the Green
Meadows. He smoothed it down on the
big, yellow mound he had made in front
of his door. Then he sat up very straight
on top of the mound, brushed his coat,
shook the sand from his trousers and care-
fully cleaned his hands.

After he had rested a bit, he turned
around and looked at his new home, for
that is what it was, although he had not
come there to live yet, and no one knew
of it, no one but jolly, round, red Mr.
Sun, who, peeping between the branches

110 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

of the old apple tree, had caught Johnny
Chuck at work. But he wouldn't tell,
not jolly Mr. Sun! Looking down from
the blue sky every day he sees all sorts
of queer things and he learns all kinds of
secrets, does Mr. Sun, but he never,
never tells. No, Sir! Mr. Sun never
tells one of them, not even to Old Mother
West Wind when at night they go down
together behind the Purple Hills.

So jolly, round, red Mr. Sun just
smiled and smiled when he discovered
Johnny Chuck's secret, for that is just
what the new home under the apple tree
was — a secret. Not even the Merry
Little Breezes, who find out almost
everything, had discovered it.

Johnny Chuck chuckled to himself as
he planned a back door, a beautiful back
door, hidden behind a tall clump of
meadow grass where no one would think
to look for a door. When he had satisfied

JOHNNY CHUCK'S SECRET 111

himself as to just where he would put it^
he once more sat up very straight on his
nice, new mound and looked this way and
looked that way to be sure that no one
was near. Then he started for his old
home along a secret little path he had
made for himself.

Pretty soon he came to the Lone Little
Path that went past his own home. He
danced and he skipped along the Lone
Little Path, and, because he was so
happy, he tried to turn a somersault.
But Johnny Chuck was so round and
fat and roUy-poly that he just tumbled
over in a heap.

'' Well, well, well! What's the matter
with you? '' said a voice close beside him
before he could pick himself up. It was
Jimmy Skunk, who was out looking for
some beetles for his dinner.

Johnny Chuck scrambled to his feet
and looked foolish, very foolish indeed.

112 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

'' There's nothing the matter with me,
Jimmy Skunk/' said Johnny. '' There's
nothing the matter with me. It's just
because I've got a secret."

^'A secret!" cried Jimmy Skunk.
'' What is it? "

^^ Yes, a secret, a really, truly secret,"
said Johnny Chuck, and looked very
important.

^' Tell me, Johnny Chuck. Come on,
tell just me, and then we'll have the
secret together," begged Jimmy Skunk.

Now Johnny Chuck was so tickled with
his secret that it seemed as if he miist
share it with some one. He just couldn't
keep it to himself any longer.

^^ You won't tell any one? " said Johnny
Chuck.

Jimmy Skunk promised that he
wouldn't tell a soul.

'' Cross your heart," commanded
Johnny Chuck.

JOHNNY CHUCK'S SECRET 116

Jimmy Skunk crossed his heart.

Then Johnny Chuck looked this way
and looked that way to be sure that no
one was listening. Finally he whispered
in Jimmy Skunk's ear:

^^ IVe got a new home under the old
apple tree in a corner of the Green
Meadows/^ said Johnny Chuck.

Of course Jimmy Skunk was very
much surprised and very much interested,
so Johnny Chuck told him all about
it.

^^ Now, remember, it's a secret,'' said
Johnny Chuck, as Jimmy Skunk started
off down the Lone Little Path across the
Green Meadows, to look for some beetles.

'^ I'll remember," said Jimmy Skunk.

^'And don't tell!" caUed Johnny
Chuck.

Jimmy Skunk promised that he
wouldn't tell. Then Johnny Chuck
started off up the Lone Little Path,

114 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

whistling, and Jimmy Skunk trotted
down the Lone Little Path onto the Green
Meadows.

Jimmy Skunk was thinking so much
about Johnny Chuck's new home that he
quite forgot to look for beetles, and he
almost ran into Peter Rabbit.

'^ Hello, Jimmy Skunk,'' said Peter
Rabbit, ^^ can't you see where you are
going? It must be you have something
on your mind; what is it? "

^^ I was thinking of Johnny Chuck's
new home," said Jimmy Skunk.

" Johnny Chuck's new home! " ex-
claimed Peter Rabbit. ^^ Has Johnny
Chuck got a new home? Where is it? "

^^ Under the roots of the old apple
tree in a corner of the Green Meadows-"
said Jimmy Skunk, and then he clapped
both hands over his mouth. You see he
hadn't really meant to tell. It just
slipped out.

JOHNNY CHUCK'S SECRET 115

^^ Oh, but it's a secret! " cried Jimmy
Skunk. ^^ It's a secret, and you mustn't
tell. I guess Johnny Chuck won't mind
if you know, Peter Rabbit, but you
mustn't tell any one else." Peter Rabbit
promised he wouldn't. .

Now Peter Rabbit is very inquisitive,
very inquisitive indeed. So as soon as he
had parted from Jimmy Skunk he made
up his mind that he must see the new
home of Johnny Chuck. So off he started
as fast as he could go towards the old
apple tree in a corner of the Green
Meadows. Half way there he met Reddy
Fox.

'' Hello, Peter Rabbit! Where are you
going in such a hurry? " asked Reddy
Fox.

'' Over to the old apple tree to see
Johnny Chuck's new home," replied
Peter Rabbit as he tried to dodge past
Reddy Fox. Then of a sudden he re^

115 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

membered and clapped both hands over
his mouth.

^' Oh, but it's a secret, Reddy Fox. It's
a secret, and you mustn't tell! " cried
Peter Rabbit.

But Reddy Fox wouldn't promise that
he wouldn't tell, for in spite of his hand-
some coat and fine manners, Reddy Fox
is a scamp. And, besides, he has no love
for Johnny Chuck, for he has not for-
gotten how Johnny Chuck once made him
run and called him a " 'fraid cat."

So when Reddy Fox left Peter Rabbit
he grinned a wicked grin and hurried off
to find Bobby Coon. He met him on his
way to the Laughing Brook. Reddy Fox
told Bobby Coon an about Johnny
Chuck's secret and then hurried away
after Peter Rabbit, for Reddy Fox also
is very inquisitive.

'Bobby Coon went on down to the
Laughing Brook. There he met Billy

JOHNNY CHUCK'S SECRET 117

Mink and told him about the new home
Johnny Chuck had made under the old
apple tree in a corner of the Green
Meadows.

Pretty soon Billy Mink met Little Joe
Otter and told him.

Then Little Joe Otter met Jerry Musk-
rat and told him.

Jerry Muskrat saw Blacky the Crow
and told him, and Great-Grandfather
Frog heard him.

Blacky the Crow met his first cousin,
Sammy Jay, and told him.

Sammy Jay met Happy Jack Squirrel
and told him.

Happy Jack met his cousin, Striped
Chipmunk, and told him.

Striped Chipmunk passed the house of
old Mr. Toad and told him-

The next morning, very early, before
Old Mother West Wind had come down
from the Purple Hills, Johnny Chuck

118 MOTHER WEST WIND^S CHILDREN

stole over to his new home to begin work
on his new back door. He had hardly
begun to dig when he heard some one
cough right behind him. He w^hirled
around and there sat Peter Rabbit looking
as innocent and surprised as if he had
really just discovered the new home for
the first time.

'^ What a splendid new home you
have, Johnny Chuck! '^ said Peter Rab-
bit.

'^Y — e — s/' said Johnny Chuck,
slowly. ^^ It's a secret/' he added sud-
denly. " You won't tell, will you, Peter
Rabbit? "

Peter Rabbit promised that he wouldn't
tell. Then Johnny Chuck felt better
and went back to work as soon as Peter
Rabbit left.

He had hardly begun, however, when
some one just above him said: " Good
oaoming, Johnny Chuck.'

yf

JOHNNY CHUCK'S SECRET 119

Johnny Chuck looked up and there in
the old apple tree sat Blacky the Crow
and his cousin, Sammy Jay.

Just then there was a rustle in the
grass and out popped Billy Mink and
Little Joe Otter and Jerry Muskrat and
Happy Jack Squirrel and Striped Chip-
munk and Bobby Coon. When Johnny
Chuck had recovered from his surprise
and looked over to the doorway of his
new home there sat Reddy Fox on
Johnny Chuck^s precious new mound. It
seemed as if all the little meadow people
were there, all but Jimmy Skunk, who
' wisely stayed away.

'' WeVe come to see your new home,'^
said Striped Chipmunk, '^ and we think
it^s the nicest home weVe seen for a long
time.''

'^ It's so nicely hidden away, it's really
quite secret," said Eeddy Fox, grinning
wickedly.

120 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

Just then up raced the Merry Little
Breezes and one of them had a message
for Johnny Chuck from Great-Grand-
father Frog. It was this:

'' Whisper a secret to a friend and you
shout it in the ear of the whole world."

After every one had admired the new
home, they said good-bye and scattered
over the Green Meadows. Then Johnny
Chuck began to dig again, but this time
he wasn't making his new back door. No
indeed! Johnny Chuck was digging at
that new mound of yellow gravel of which
he had been so proud. Jolly, round, red
Mr. Sun blinked to be sure that he saw
aright, for Johnny Chuck was filling up
his new home between the roots of the old
apple tree. When he got through, there
wasn't any new home.

Then Johnny Chuck brushed his coat
carefully, shook the sand out of his
trousers, wiped his hands and started off

JOHNNY CHUCK'S SECRET 121

for his old home. And this time he
didn't take his special hidden path, for
Johnny Chuck didn't care who saw him
go.

Late that afternoon, Johnny Chuck
sat on his old doorstep, with his chin in
his hands, watching Old Mother West
Wind gathering her Merry Little Breezes
into the big bag in which she carries them
to their home behind the Purple Hills.

^^ ^ Whisper a secret to a friend and you
shout it in the ear of the whole world.'
Now what did Grandfather Frog mean
by that? '^ thought Johnny Chuck.
'' Now I didn't tell anybody but Jimmy
Skunk and Jimmy Skunk didn't tell any-
one but Peter Rabbit and — • and — "

Then Johnny Chuck began to chuckle
and finally to laugh. ^' ' Whisper a secret
to a friend and you shout it in the ear of
the whole world.' My gracious, what a
loud voice I must have had and didn't

122 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

know StI '* said Johnny Chuck, wiping
the tears of laughter from his eyes.

And the next day Johnny Chuck
started to make a new home. Where?
Oh, that^s Johnny Chuck's secret. And
no one but jolly, round, red Mr. Sun
has found it out yet^

VIII
JOHNNY CHUCK'S GREAT FIGHT

VIII

JOHNNY chuck's GREAT FIGHT

JOHNNY CHUCK sat on the door-
step of his new home, looking away
across the Green Meadows. Johnny
Chuck felt very well satisfied with him*
self and with all the world. He yawned
lazily and stretched and stretched and
then settled himself comfortably to watch
the Merry Little Breezes playing down
by the Smiling Pool.

By and by he saw Peter Rabbit go
bobbing along down the Lone Little Path.
Lipperty, lipperty, lip, went Peter Rabbit
and every other jimip he looked behind
him.
" Now what is Peter Rabbit up to? ''

126 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

said Johnny Chuck to himself, ^^ and what
does he keep looking behind him for? ''

Johnny Chuck sat up a little straighter
to watch Peter Rabbit hop down the Lone
Little Path. Then of a sudden he caught
gight of something that made him sit up
straighter than ever and open his eyes
very wide. Something was following
Peter Rabbit. Yes, Sir, something was
bobbing along right at Peter Rabbit's
heels.

Johnny Chuck forgot the Merry Little
Breezes. He forgot how warm it was and
how lazy he felt. He forgot everything
else in his curiosity to learn what it could
be following so closely at Peter Rabbit's
heels.

Presently Peter Rabbit stopped and sat
up very straight and then — Johnny
Chuck nearly tumbled over in sheer sur*
prise! He rubbed his eyes to make sure
that he saw aright, for there were tw(?

JOHNNY CHUCK'S FIGHT 127

Peter Rabbits! Yes, Sir, there were two
Peter Rabbits, only one was very small,
very small indeed.

^^Oh!^^ said Johnny Chuck, "that
must be Peter Rabbit's baby brother! '^

Then he began to chuckle till his fat
sides shook. There sat Peter Rabbit with
his funny long ears standing straight up,
and there right behind him, dressed
exactly like him, sat Peter Rabbit^s baby
brother with his funny little long ears
standing straight up. When Peter Rabbit
wiggled his right ear, his baby brother
wiggled his right ear. When Peter Rab-
bit scratched his left ear, his baby brother
scratched his left ear. Whatever Peter
Rabbit did, his baby brother did too.

Presently Peter Rabbit started on
down the Lone Little Path — lipperty,
lipperty, lip, and right at his heels went
his baby brother — lipperty, lipperty, lip.
Johnny Chuck watched them out of

128 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

sight, and then he settled himself on his
doorstep once more to enjoy a sun bath.
Every once in a while he chuckled to
himself as he remembered how funny
Peter Rabbit^s baby brother had looked.
Presently Johnny Chuck fell asleep.

Jolly, round, red Mr. Sun had climbed
quite high in the sky when Johnny Chuck
awoke. He yawned and stretched and
stretched and yawned, and then he sat
up to look over the Green Meadows.
Then he became wide awake, very wide
awake indeed! Way down on the Green
Meadows he caught a glimpse of some-|^
thing red jumping about in the long
meadow grass.

'' That must be Reddy Fox/' thought
Johnny Chuck. ^' Yes, it surely is Reddy
Fox. Now I wonder what mischief he is
up to."

Then he saw all the Merry Little
3reezes racing towards Reddy Fox as

JOHNNY CHCrCK'S FIGHT 129

fast as they could go. And there was
Sammy Jay screaming at the top of his
voice, and his cousin, Blacky the Crow.
Happy Jack Squirrel was dancing up and
down excitedly on the branch of an old
elm close by.

Johnny Chuck waited to see no more,
but started down the Lone Little Path to
find out what it all was about. Half way
down the Lone Little Path he met Peter
Rabbit running as hard as he could. His
long ears were laid flat back, his big eyes
seemed to pop right out of his head, and
he was running as Johnny Chuck had
never seen him run before.

^^ What are you running so for, Peter
Rabbit? '' asked Johnny Chuck.

^^ To get Bowser the Hound, '^ shouted
Peter Rabbit over his shoulder, as he
tried to run faster.

^^ Now what can be the matter? ^^ said
Johnny Chuck to himself, '' to send Peter

130 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN.

Rabbit after Bowser the Hound? '' He
knew that, Hke all the other little meadow
people, there was nothing of which Peter
Rabbit was so afraid as Farmer Brown's
great dog, Bowser the Hound.

Johnny Chuck hurried down the Lone
Little Path as fast as his short legs could
take his fat, roUy-poly self.

Presently he came out onto the Green
Meadows, and there he saw a sight that
set every nerve in his round Uttle body
a-tingle with rage.

Reddy Fox had found Peter Rabbit's
baby brother and was doing his best to
frighten him to death.

'' I'm going to eat you now," shouted
Reddy Fox, and then he sprang on Peter
Rabbit's baby brother and gave him a
cuff that sent him heels over head sprawl-
ing in the grass.

''Coward! Coward, Reddy Fox!''
shrieked Sammy Jay.

JOHNNY CHUCK'S FIGHT 131

^' Shame! Shame! '' shouted the Merry
Little Breezes.

'' You're nothing but a great big bully!''
yelled Blacky the Crow.

But no one did anything to help Peter
Rabbit's baby brother, for Reddy Fox is
so much bigger than any of the rest of
them, except Bobby Coon, that all the
little meadow people are afraid of him.

But Reddy Fox just laughed at them,
and nipped the long ears of Peter Rab-
bit's little brother so hard that he cried
with the pain.

Now all were so intent watching Reddy
Fox torment the baby brother of Peter
Rabbit that no one had seen Johnny
Chuck coming down the Lone Little Path.
And for a few minutes no one recognized
the furious little yellow-brown bundle
that suddenly knocked Reddy Fox over
and seized him by the throat. You see it
didn't look a bit like Johnny Chuck.

132 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

Every hair was standing on end, he was
so mad, and this made him appear twice
as big as they had ever seen him before.

'' Coward! Coward! Coward! '' shrieked
Johnny Chuck as he shook Reddy Fox
by the throat. And then began the
greatest fight that the Green Meadows
had ever seen.

Now Johnny Chuck is not naturally a
fighter. Oh my, no ! He is so good-natured
and so sunny-hearted that he seldom
quarrels with any one. But when he has
to fight, there isn't a cowardly hair on
him, not the teeniest, weeniest one. No
one ever has a chance to cry, '' Traid
cat! Cry baby! '' after Johnny Chuck.

So though, like all the other little
meadow people, he was usually just a
little afraid of Reddy Fox, because Reddy
is so much bigger, he forgot all about it
as soon as he caught sight ot Reddy
Fox tormenting Peter Rabbit's little

JOHNNY CHUCK'S FIGHT 13S

brother. He didn't stop to think of what
might happen to himself. He didn't
stop to think at all. He just gritted his
teeth and in a flash had Reddy Fox on his
back.

Such a fight was never seen before on
the Green Meadows! Reddy Fox is a
bully and a coward, for he never fights
with any one of his own size if he can help
it, but when he has to fight, he fights
hard. And he certainly had to fight now.

'' Bully! '' hissed Johnny Chuck as
with his stout little hind feet he ripped the
bright red coat of Reddy Fox. '^ You
great big bully! ^^

Over and over they rolled, Johnny
Chuck on top, then Reddy Fox on top,
then Johnny Chuck up again, clawing
and snarling.

It seemed as if news of the fight had
gone over all the Green Meadows, for the
little meadow people came running from

134 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

every direction — Billy Mink, Little Joe
Otter, Jerry Muskrat, Striped Chip-
munk, Jimmy Skunk, old Mr. Toad.
Even Great-Grandfather Frog, who left
his big lily pad, and came hurrying with
great jumps across the Green Meadows.
They formed a ring around Reddy Fox
and Johnny Chuck and danced with ex-
citement. And all wanted Johnny Chuck
to win.

Peter Rabbit^s poor little brother, so
sore and lame from the knocking about
from Reddy Fox, and so frightened that
he hardly dared breathe, lay flat on the
ground under a little bush and was for-
gotten by all but the Merry Little Breezes^
who covered him up with some dead grass,
and kissed him and whispered to him not
to be afraid now. How Peter Rabbit's
little brother did hope that Johnny Chuck
would win! His great, big, round, soft
eyes were wide with terror as he thought

JOHNNY CHUCK'S FIGHT 13fl

of what might happen to him if Reddy
Fox should whip Johnny Chuck.

But Reddy Fox wasn't whipping
Johnny Chuck. Try as he would, he
could not get a good hold on that round,
fat, little body. And Johnny Chuck's
stout claws were ripping his red coat
and white vest and Johnny Chuck's sharp
teeth were gripping him so that they could
not be shaken loose. Pretty soon Reddy
Fox began to think of nothing but getting
away. Every one was shouting for Johnny
Chuck. Every time Reddy Fox was
underneath, he would hear a great shout
from all the little meadow people, and
he knew that they were glad.

Now Johnny Chuck was round and fat
and roUy-poly, and when one is round
and fat and rolly-poly, one's breath ia
apt to be short. So it was with Johnny
Chuck. He had fought so hard that his
breath was nearly gone. Finally he

136 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

loosed his hold on Reddy Fox for just a
second to draw in a good breath. Reddy
Fox saw his chance, and, with a quick
pull and spring, he broke away.

How all the little meadow people did
scatter! You see they were very brave,
very brave indeed, so long as Johnny
Chuck had Reddy Fox down, but now
that Reddy Fox was free, each one was
suddenly afraid and thought only of
himself. Jimmy Skunk knocked Jerry
Muskrat flat in his hurry to get away.
Billy Mink trod on Great- Grandfather
Frog^s big feet and didn^t even sa>
'^ Excuse me/^ Striped Chipmunk ran
head first into a big thistle and squealed
as much from fear as pain.

But Reddy Fox paid no attention to
any of them. He just wanted to get
away, and off he started, limping as fast
as he could go up the Lone Little Path.
Such a looking sight! His beautiful

JOHNNY CHUCK'S FIGHT 137

red coat was in tatters. His face was
scratched. He hobbled as he ran. And
just as he broke away, Johnny Chuck
made a grab and pulled a great mouthful
of hair out of the splendid tail Reddy Fox
was so proud of.

When the little meadow people saw
that Reddy Fox was actually running
away, they stopped running themselves,
and all began to shout: '^ Reddy Fox ig
a coward and a bully ! Coward ! Coward ! ^
Then they crowded around Johnny Chud
and all began talking at once about his
great fight.

Just then they heard a great noise up
on the hill. They saw Reddy Fox coming
back down the Lone Little Path, and he
was using his legs just as well as he knew
how. Right behind him, his great mouth
open and waking all the echoes with his
big voice, was Bowser the Hound.

You see, although Peter Rabbit couldn't

138 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

fight for his little baby brother and Is
usually very, very timid, he isn't alto-
gether a coward. Indeed, he had been
very brave, very brave indeed. He had
gone up to Fanner Brown's and had
jumped right under the nose of Bowser
the Hound. Now that is something that
Bowser the Hound never can stand. So
off he had started after Peter Rabbit.
And Peter Rabbit had started back for
the Green Meadows as fast as his long
legs could take him, for he knew that if
once Bowser the Hound caught sight of
Reddy Fox, he would forget all about such
a little thing as a saucy rabbit.

Sure enough, half way down the Lone
Little Path they met Reddy Fox sneaking
off home, and, when Bowser the Hound
saw him, he straightway forgot all about
Peter Rabbit, and, with a great roar,
started after Reddy Fox.

When Johnny Chuck had carefully

JOHNNY CRUCK'S FIGHT 13S

brushed his coat and all the httle meadow
people had wished him good luck, he
started off up the Lone Little Path for
home, the Merry Little Breezes dancing
ahead and Peter Rabbit coming lipperty,
lipperty, Hp behind, and right between
them hopped Peter Rabbit's little brother,
who thought Johnny Chuck the greatest
hero in the world.

When they reached Johnny Chuck's
old home, Peter Rabbit and Peter Rab-
bit's httle brother tried to tell him how
thankful they were to him, but Johnny
Chuck just laughed and said: '' It was
nothing at all, just nothing at all/'

When at last all had gone, even the
Merry Little Breezes, Johnny Chuck
slipped away to his new home, which is
his secret, you know, which no one knows
but jolly, round, red Mr. Sun, who won't
teU.

" I hope/' said Johnny Chuck, as he

140 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

stretched himself out on the mound of
warm sand by his doons'ay, for he was
very tired, '' I hope/' said Johnny Chuck,
sighing contentedly, ^' that Reddy Fox
got away from Bowser the Hound! ''
And Reddy Fox did*

IX

MR. TOAD'S OLD SUIT

IX

MR. toad's old suit

PETER RABBIT was tired and very
sleepy as he hopped along the
Crooked Little Path down the hill.
He could see Old Mother West Wind
just emptying her Merry Little Breezes
out of her big bag onto the Green
Meadows to play all the bright summer
day. Peter Rabbit yawned and yawned
again as he watched them dance over to
the Smiling Pool. Then he hopped on
down the Crooked Little Path towards
home.

Sammy Jay, sitting on a fence post^
saw him coming.

" Peter Rabbit out all night!
Oh my goodness what a sightl

*44 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDEEN

Peter Rabbit, reprobate!

No good end will be your fate! *'

shouted Sammy Jay.

Peter Rabbit ran out his tongue at
Sammy Jay.

'' Who stole Happy Jack's nuts? Thief!
Thief! Thief! '' shouted Peter Rabbit at
Sammy Jay, and kept on down the
Crooked Little Path.

It was true — Peter Rabbit had been
out all night playing in the moonlight,
stealing a midnight feast in Farmer
Brown's cabbage patch and getting into
mischief with Bobby Coon. Now when
most of the little meadow people were
just waking up Peter Rabbit was thinking
of bed.

Presently he came to a big piece of
bark which is the roof of Mr. Toad's
house. Mr. Toad was sitting in his door-
way blinking at jolly, round, red Mr. Sun,
who had just begun to climb up the sky.

MR. TOAD'^ OLU SUIT 145

"Good morning, Mr. Toad/' said
Peter Rabbit.

'' Good morning/' said Mr. Toad.

'^ You're looking very fine this morn-
ing, Mr. Toad/' said Peter Rabbit.

^^ I'm feeling very fine this morning,^'
said Mr. Toad.

^^ Why, my gracious, you have on a new
suit, Mr. Toad! " exclaimed Peter Rab-
bit.

" Well, what if I have, Peter Rabbit? ''
demanded Mr. Toad.

'^ Oh, nothing, nothing, nothing at all,
Mr. Toad, nothing at all," said Peter
Rabbit hastily, ^^ only I didn't know you
ever had a new suit. What have you
done with your old suit, Mr. Toad? "

" Swallowed it," said Mr. Toad shortly,
turning his back on Peter Rabbit.

And that was all Peter Rabbit could
get out of Mr. Toad, so he started on
down the Crooked Little Path. Now

f46 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

Peter Rabbit has a great deal of curiosity
and is forever poking into other people's
affairs. The more he thought about it the
more he wondered what Mr. Toad could
have done with his old suit. Of course
he hadn't swallowed it! Who ever heard
of such a thing! The more he thought of
it the more Peter Rabbit felt that he
must know what Mr. Toad had done with
his old suit. By this time he had for-
gotten that he had been out all night.
He had forgotten that he was sleepy.
He had got to find out about Mr. Toad's
old suit.

" I'll just run over to the Smiling Pool
and ask Grandfather Frog. He'll surely
know what Mr. Toad does with his old
suits," said Peter Rabbit, and began to
hop faster.

When he reached the Smiling Pool
there sat Great-Grandfather Frog on his
big green Uly pad as usual. There was

MR. TOAD'S OLD SUIT 147

a hungry look in his big goggly eyes, for
it was so early that no foolish, green flies
had come his way yet. But Peter Rabbit
was too full of curiosity in Mr. Toad's
affairs to notice this.

^^ Good morning. Grandfather Frog/'
said Peter Rabbit,

^^ Good morning, '' replied Grandfather
Frog a wee bit gruffly.

^^ You're looking very fine this morn-
ing. Grandfather Frog,'' said Peter Rabbit.

^^ Not so fine as I'd feel if I had a few
fat, foolish, green flies," said Grandfather
Frog.

^^ I've just met your cousin, Mr. Toad,
and he has on a new suit," said Peter
Rabbit.

^^ Indeed! " rephed Grandfather Frog.
'' Well, I think it's high time."

'' What does Mr. Toad do with his old
suit. Grandfather Frog? " asked Peter
Rabbit.

14S MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

^^ Chug-a-rum! It's none of my busi-
ness. Maybe he swallows it/' replied
Grandfather Frog crossly, and turned his
back on Peter Rabbit.

Peter Rabbit saw that his curiosity
must remain unsatisfied. He suddenly
remembered that he had been out all
night and was very, very sleepy, so he
started off home across the Green
Meadows.

Now the Merry Little Breezes had
heard all that Peter Rabbit and Grand-
father Frog had said, and they made up
their minds that they would find out from
Grandfather Frog what Mr. Toad really
did do with his old suit. First of all they
scattered over the Green Meadows. Pres-
ently back they all came, each blowing
ahead of him a fat, foolish, green fly.
Right over to the big green lily pad they
blew the green flies.

^' Chug-a-rum! Chug-a-rum! Chug-

IMR. TOAD'S OLD SUIT 149

a-rum! " said Grandfather Frog, as each
fat, foolish, green fly disappeared inside
his white and yellow waistcoat. When
the last one was out of sight, all but a
leg which was left sticking out of a corner
of Grandfather Frog's big mouth, one of
the Merry Little Breezes ventured to ask
him what became of Mr. Toad's old suit.

Grandfather Frog settled himself com-
fortably on the big green lily pad and
folded his hands across his white and
yellow waistcoat.

^^ Chug-a-rum,'^ began Grandfather
Frog. ^' Once upon a time — ^'

The Merry Little Breezes clapped
their hands and settled themselves among
the buttercups and daisies, for they
knew that soon they would know what
Mr. Toad did with his old suit.

''Once upon a time/' began Grand-
father Frog again, '' when the world wa^
young, old King Bear received word that

160 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

old Mother Nature would visit the
Green Meadows and the Green Forest.
Of course old King Bear wanted his
kingdom and his subjects to look their
very best, so he issued a royal order that
every one of the little meadow people
and every one of the little forest folk
should wear a new suit on the day that
old Mother Nature was to pay her visit,
^^ Now hke old King Bear, every one
wanted to appear his very best before
old Mother Nature, but as no one knew
the exact day she was to come, every one
began at once to wear his best suit, and
to take the greatest care of it. Old King
Bear appeared every day in a suit of
glossy black. Lightfoot the Deer, threw
away his dingy gray suit, and put on a
coat of beautiful red and fawn. Mr.
Mmk, Mr. Otter, Mr. Muskrat, Mre
Rabbit, Mr. Woodchuck, Mr. Coon, who
you know was first cousin to old King

MR. TOAD'S OLD SUIT 151

Bear, Mr. Gray Squirrel, Mr. Fox Squir-
rel, Mr. Red Squirrel, all put on brand
new suits. Mr. Skunk changed his black
and white stripes for a suit of all black,
very handsome, very handsome indeed.
Mr. Chipmunk took care to see that his
new suit had the most beautiful stripes
to be obtained.

^' Mr. Jay, who was something of a
dandy, had a wonderful new coat that
looked for all the world as it if had been
cut from the bluest patch of sky and
trimmed with edging taken from the
whitest clouds. Even Mr. Crow and
Mr. Owl took pains to look their very
best.

" But Mr. Toad couldn^t see the need
of such a fuss. He thought his neighbors
spent altogether too much time and
thought on dress. To be sure he was
anxious to look his best when old Mother
Nature came, so he got a new suit aU

152 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

ready. But Mr. Toad couldn't afford tc
sit around in idleness admiring his new
clothes. No indeed! Mr. Toad had too
much to do. He was altogether too busy.
He had a large garden to take care of,
had Mr. Toad, and work in a garden is
very hard on clothes. So ]\Ir. Toad just
wore his old suit over his new one and
went on about his business.

^' By and by the great day came when
old ^Mother Nature arrived to inspect the
kingdom of old King Bear. All the little
meadow people and all the httle forest
folk hastened to pay their respects to old
Mother Nature and to strut about in
their fine clothes — all but ]Mr. Toad.
He was so busy that he didn't even know
that old ]\Iother Nature had arrived.

'' Late in the afternoon, IMr. Toad
stopped to rest. He had just cleared his
cabbage patch of the slugs which threat*
ened to eat up his crop and he was very

tired. Presently he happened to look
up the road, and who should he see but
old ]\Iother Nature herself coming to
visit his garden and to find out why Mr.
Toad had not been to pay her his respects.

^^ Suddenly Mr. Toad remembered that
he had on his working clothes, which were
very old, very dirt}^ and very ragged. For
just a minute he didn't know what to do.
Then he dived under a cabbage leaf and
began to pull off his old suit. But the old
suit stuck! He was in such a hurry and
so excited that he couldn't find the but-
tons. Finally he got his trousers off.
Then he reached over and got hold of the
back of his coat and tugged and hauled
until finally he pulled his old coat off
right over his head just as if it were a
shirt.

" Mr. Toad gave a great sigh of relief
as he stepped out in his new suit, for you
remember that he had been wearing that

154 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

new suit underneath the old one all the
time.

^' Mr. Toad was very well pleased with
himself until he thought how terribly
untidy that ragged old suit looked lying
on the ground. What should he do with
it? He couldn't hide it in the garden, for
old Mother Nature's eyes are so sharp
that she would be sure to see it. What
should he do?

'' Then Mr. Toad had a happy thought.
Every one made fun of his big mouth.
But what was a big mouth for if not to
use? He would swallow his old suit! In
a flash Mr. Toad dived under the cabbage
leaf and crammed his old suit into his
mouth.

^^ When old Mother Nature came into
the garden, Mr. Toad was waiting in the
path to receive her. Very fine he looked
in his new suit and you would have
thought he had been waiting all day to

MR. TOAD'S OLI> SUIT xT>Z>

receive old Mother Nature, but for one
thing — swallow as much and as hard as
he would, he couldn't get down quite all
of his old suit, and a leg of his trousers
hung out of a corner of his big mouth.

^' Of course old Mother Nature saw it
right away. And how she did laugh!
And of course Mr. Toad felt very much
mortified. But Mother Nature was so
pleased with Mr. Toad's garden and with
Mr. Toad's industry that she quite over-
looked the ragged trousers leg hanging
from the corner of Mr. Toad's mouth.

^' ' Fine clothes are not to be compared
with fine work,' said old Mother Nature.
^ I herewith appoint you my chief gar-
dener, Mr. Toad. And as a sign that all
may know that this is so, hereafter you
shall always swallow your old suit when^
ever you change your clothes! ^

^' And from that day to this the toads
have been the very best of gardeners.

156 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

And in memory of their great, great,
great-grandfather a thousand times re-
moved they have always swallowed their
old suits.

^^ Now you know what my cousin, old
Mr. Toad, did with his old suit just before
Peter Rabbit passed his house this morn-
ing,'' concluded Great-Grandfather Frog.

'^ Oh,'^ cried the Merry Little Breezes,
" thank you, thank you, Grandfather
Frog! ''

Then they raced away across the Green
Meadows and up the Crooked Little Path
to see if old Mr. Toad was gardening.
And Peter Rabbit still wonders what old
Mr. Toad did with his old suit.

X

GRANDFATHER FROG GETS EVEN

X

GRANDFATHER FROG GETS EVEN

OLD Grandfather Frog sat on his
big green lily pad in the Smiling
Pool dreaming of the days when
the world was young and the frogs ruled
the world. His hands were folded across
his white and yellow waistcoat. Round,
red, smiling Mr. Sun sent down his warm-
est rays on the back of Grandfather
Frog's green coat.

Very early that morning Old Mothers
West Wind, hurrying down from the
Purple Hills on her way to help the white-
sailed ships across the great ocean, had
stopped long enough to blow three or
four fat, foolish, green flies over to the big
Uly pad, and they were now safely inside

160 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

the white and yellow waistcoat. A thou-
sand little tadpoles, the great, great-
grandchildren of Grandfather Frog, were
playing in the Smiling Pool, and every
once in a while wriggling up to the big
lily pad to look with awe at Grandfather
Frog and wonder if they would ever be
as handsome and big and wise as he.

And still old Grandfather Frog sat
dreaming and dreaming of the days when
all the frogs had tails and ruled the
world.

Presently Billy Mink came hopping
and skipping down the Laughing Brook.
Sometimes he swam a Httle waj^ and
sometimes he ran a little way along the
bank, and sometimes he jumped from
stone to stone. Billy Mink was feeling
very good — very good indeed. He had
caught a fine fat trout for breakfast. He
had bidden two more away for dinner in
a sPiUg little hole no one knew of but

GRANDFATHEft FROG 161

himself. Now he had nothing to do but
get into mischief. You can always de-
pend upon Billy Mink to get into mis-
chief. He just can't help it.

So Billy Mink came hopping and skip-
ping down the Laughing Brook to the
Smihng Pool. Then he stopped, as still
as the rock he was standing on, and
peeped through the bulrushes. Bill;y
Mink is very cautious, very cautious in-
deed. He always looks well before he
shows himself, that nothing may surprise
him.

So Billy Mink looked all over the Smi-
ling Pool and the grassy banks. He saw
the sunbeams dancing on the water. He
feaw the tadpoles having such a good time
in the Smihng Pool. He saw the Merry
Little Breezes kissing the buttercups and
daisies on the bank, and he saw old
Grandfather Frog with his hands folded
across his white and yellow waistcoat sit-

162 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN"

ting on the green lily pad, dreaming of
the days when the world was young.

Then Billy Mink took a long breath,
a very long breath, and dived into the
Smiling Pool. Now, Billy Mink can
swim very fast, very fast indeed. For a
little way he can swim even faster than
Mr. Trout. And he can stay under water
a long time.

Straight across the Smiling Pool, with
not even the tip of his nose out of water,
swam Billy Mink. The thousand little
tadpoles saw him coming and fled in all
directions to bury themselves in the mud
at the bottom of the Smiling Pool, for
when he thinks no one is looking Billy
Mink sometimes gobbles up a fat tadpole
for breakfast.

Straight across the Smiling Pool swam
Billy Mink towr^rd the big green lily pad
where Grandfather Frog sat dreaming of
the days when the world was young.

He was so surprised he forgot to close it.

GRANDFATHER FROG 163

When he was right under the big green
lily pad he suddenly kicked up hard with
his hind feet. Up went the big green
lily pad, and, of course, up went Grand-
father Frog — up and over flat on his
back, with a great splash into the SmiUng
Pool!

Now, Grandfather Frog's mouth is
very big. Indeed, no one else has so big
a mouth, unless it be his cousin, old Mr.
Toad. And when Grandfather Frog
went over fiat on his back, splash in the
Smiling Pool, his mouth was wide open.

You see he was so surprised he forgot
to close it. So, of course, Grandfather
Frog swallowed a great deal of water,
and he choked and spluttered and swam
around in fooHsh little circles trying to
find himself. Finally he climbed out on
his big green lily pad.

'' Chug-a-rum! " said Grandfather
Prog, and looked this way and looked

164 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN"

that way. Then he gave a funny hop and^
turned about in the opposite direction
and looked this way and looked that way,
but all he saw was the Smiling Pool
dimpling and smiling, Mrs. Redwing
bringing a fat worm to her hungry little
babies in their snug nest in the bulrushes,
and the Alerry Little Breezes hurrying
over to see what the trouble might be.

^^ Chug-a-rum! '^ said Grandfather
Frog. ^^ It is very strange. I must have
fallen asleep and had a bad dream/'

Then he once more settled himself
comfortably on the big green lily pad,
folded his hands across his white and
yellow waistcoat, and seemed to be
dreaming again, only his big goggly eyes
were not dreaming. No, indeed! They
Were very much awake, and they saw all
that was going on in the Smiling Pool.
Great-Grandfather Frog was just pretend-
ing. You may fool him once, but Grand-

CfRANDFATHER FROG 165

father Frog has lived so long that he
has become very wise, and though Billy
Mink is very smart, it takes some one
a great deal smarter than Billy Mink to
^fool Grandfather Frog twice in the same
way.

Billy Mink, hiding behind the Big
Rock, had laughed and laughed till he
had to hold his sides when Grandfather
Frog had choked and spluttered and
hopped about on the big lily pad trying to
find out what it all meant. He thought
it such a good joke that he couldn't keep
it to himself, so when he saw Little Joe
Otter coming to try his slippery shde he
swam across to tell him all about it. Little
Joe Otter laughed and laughed until he
had to hold his sides. Then they both
swam back to hide behind the Big Rock
to watch until Grandfather Frog should
forget all about it, and they could play
the trick over again.

166 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

Now, out of the corner of one of his
big goggly eyes, Grandfather Frog had
seen Billy Mink and Little Joe Otter
with their heads close together, laughing
and holding their sides, and he saw them
swim over behind the Big Rock. Pretty
soon one of the Merry Little Breezes
danced over to see if Grandfather Frog
had really gone to sleep. Grandfather
Frog didn't move, not the teeniest,
weeniest bit, but he whispered something
to the Merry Little Breeze, and the
Merry Little Breeze flew away, shaking
with laughter, to where the other Merry
Little Breezes were playing with the but-
tercups and daisies.

Then all the Merry Little Breezes
clapped their hands and laughed too.
They left the buttercups and daisies and
began to play tag across the Smiling Pool.

Now, right on the edge of the Big Rock
lay a big stick. Pretty soon the Merry

XjRANDFATHER i^KOG 167

Little Breezes danced over to the Big
Rock, and then, suddenly, all together
they gave the big stick a push. Off it
went, and then such a splashing and
squealing as there was behind the Big
Rock!

In a few moments Little Joe Otter
crept out beside his slippery slide and
slipped away holding on to his head.
And, sneaking through the bulrushes, so
as not to be seen, crawled Billy Mink,
back towards his home on the Laughing
Brook. Billy Mink wasn^t laughing now.
Oh, no! He was limping and he was
holding on to his head. Little Joe Otter
and Billy Mink had been sitting right
underneath the big stick.

'' Chug-a-rum! ^^ said Grandfather
Frog and held on to his sides and opened
his mouth very wide in a noiseless laugh,
for Grandfather Frog never makes a
sound when he laughs.

IC5 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

'^ Chug-a-rum! ^' said Grandfather
Frog once more. Then he folded his
hands across his white and yellow waist-
coat and began again to dream of the
days when the frogs had long tails and
ruled the worlds

XI

THE DISAPPOINTED BUSH

XI

THE DISAPPOINTED BUSH

WAY down beside the Laughing
Brook grew a little bush. It
looked a whole lot like other
little bushes all around it. But really
it was quite different, as you shall see.
When in the spring warm, jolly, round
Mr. Sun brought back the birds and set
them singing, when the Uttle flowers
popped their heads out of the ground
to have a look around, then all the little
bushes put out their green leaves.

This little bush of which I am telling
you put out its green leaves with the rest.
The little leaves grew bigger and bigger
on all the little bushes. By and by on
some of the other little bushes, little

172 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

brown buds began to appear and grow
and grow. Then on more and more of
the httle bushes the httle brown buds
came and grew and grew. But on this
little bush of which I am telling you no
little brown buds appeared. The little
bush felt very sad indeed.

Pretty soon all the little brown buds
on the other little brown bushes burst
their brown coats, and then all the little
bushes were covered with httle flowers.
Some were white and some were yellow
and some were pink; and the air was
filled with the sweet odor of all the httle
flowers. It brought the bees from far,
far away to gather the honey, and all the
little bushes were very happy indeed.

But the little bush of w^hich I am
teUing you had no little flowers, for you
see it had had no little buds, and it felt
lonely and shut away from the other
Uttle bushes, and very sad indeed. But

THE DISAPPOINTED BUSH 173

it bravely kept on growing and growing
and growing. Its little leaves grew bigger
and bigger and bigger, and it tried its best
not to mind because it had no little
flowers.

Then one by one, and two by two, and
three by three, and finally in whole
showers, the little flowers of all the other
little bushes fell off, and they looked very
much like the little bush of which I am
telling you, so that the little bush no
longer felt sad.

All summer long all the little bushes
grew and grew and grew. The birds
came and built their nests among them.
Peter Rabbit and his brothers and sisters
scampered under them. The butterflies
flew over them.

By and by came the fall, and with the
fall came Jack Frost. He went about
among the little bushes, pinching the
leaves. Then the little green leaves

174 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

turned to brown and red and yellow and
pretty soon they fluttered down to the
ground, the Merry Little Breezes blew
them aboirt and all the httle bushes were
bare. They had no leaves at all to cover
their httle naked brown limbs.

The little bush of which I am telling
you lost its leaves with the rest. But
all the summer long this little bush had
been growing some of those little brown
buds, which the other bushes had had
in the spring, and now, when all the other
little bushes had lost all the green leaves,
and had nothing at all upon their httle
brown twigs, behold! one beautiful day,
the little bush of which I am telling you
was covered with gold, for each little
brown bud had burst its little brown coat
and there was a beautiful little yellow
flower. Such a multitude of these little
yellow flowers! They covered the little
bush from top to bottom. Then the little

THE DISAPPOINTED BUSH 175

bush felt very happy indeed, for it was
the only bush which had any flowers.
And every one who passed that way
stopped to look at it and to praise it.

Colder grew the weather and colder.
Johnny Chuck tucked himself away to
sleep all winter. Grandfather Frog went
deep, deep down in the mud, not to come
out again until spring. By and by the
little yellow flowers dropped off the httle
bush, just as the other little flowers
in spring had dropped off the other
bushes. But they left behind them tiny
little packages, one for every little flower
that had been on the bush. All winter
long these httle packages clung to the
Uttle bush. In the spring when the Httle
leaves burst forth in all the httle bushes,
these Httle packages on the Httle bush cf
which I am teUing you grew and grew and
grew. While the other Httle bushes had a
lot of little flowers as they had had the

176 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN:

year before, these little brown packages
on the little bush of which I am teUing
you kept on growing. And they com-
forted the little bush because it felt that it
really had something worth while.

All the summer long the little brown
packages grew and grew until they looked
like little nuts. When the fall came again
and all the little leaves dropped off all
the little bushes, and the little bush of
which I am telling you was covered with
another lot of little yellow flowers and
was very happy, then these little brown
nuts, one bright autumn day, suddenly
popped open! And out of each one flew
two brown shiny little seeds. You never
saw such a popping and a snapping and a
jumping! Pop! pop! snap! snap! hip-
petty hop! they went, faster than the
com pops in the com popper. Reddy
Fox, who always is suspicious, thought
some one was shooting at him. Down

THE DISAPPOINTED BUSH 177

on the ground fell the little brown shi-
ning seeds and tucked themselves into
the warm earth under the warm leaves,
there to stay all winter long.

And when the third spring came with
ail its little birds and all its little flowers
and the warm sunshine, every one of
these little brown seeds which had tucked
themselves into the warm earth, burst
its little brown skin, and up into the
sunshine came a little green plant, which
would grow and grow and grow, and by
and by become just like the Uttle bush
I am telling you about.

When the little bush looked down and
saw all these little green children popping
out of the ground, it was very happy
indeed, for it knew that it would no
longer be lonely. It no longer felt bad
when all the other bushes were covered
with flowers, for it knew that by and by
when all the other little bushes had lost

!

178 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

all their leaves and all their flowers, then
would come its turn, and it knew that for
a whole j^ear its little brown children
would be held safe on its branches.

Now, w^hat do you think is the name of
this little bush? Why, it is the witch
hazel. And sometime when you fall
down and bump yourself hard grandma
will go to the medicine closet and will
bring out a bottle, and from that bottle
she will pour something on that little
sore place and it will make it feel better.
Do you know what it is? It is the gift
of the witch hazel bush to little boys and
big men to make them feel better when
they are hurt.

XII

WHY BOBBY COON WASHES HIS FOOD

XII

WHY BOBBY COON WASHES HIS FOOD

HAPPY-GO-LUCKY Bobby Coon
sat on the edge of the Laughing
Brook just as round, red Mr. Sun
popped up from behind the Purple Hills
and Old Mother West Wind turned all
her Merry Little Breezes out to romp on
the Green Meadows.

Bobby Coon had been out all night.
You see Bobby Coon is very apt to get
into mischief, and because usually it is
safer to get into mischief under cover of
the darkness Bobby Coon prefers the
night wherein to go abroad. Not that
Bobby Coon is really bad! Oh my, no!
Everybody likes Bobby Coon. But he

182 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

can no more keep out of mischief than a
duck can keep out of water.

So Bobby Coon sat on the edge of the
Laughing Brook and he was very busy,
very busy indeed. He was washing his
breakfast. Really, it was his dinner, for
turning night into day just turns every-
thing topsy-turvy. So Bobby Coon eats
dinner when most of the little meadow
people are eating breakfast.

This morning he was very busy washing
a luscious ear of sweet corn just in the
milk. He dipped it in the water and with
one little black paw rubbed it thoroughly.
Then he looked it over carefully before,
with a sigh of contentment, he sat down
to put it in his empty little stomach.
When he had finished it to the last sweet,
juicy kernel, he ambled sleepily up the
Lone Little Path to the big hollow chest-
nut tree where he lives, and in its great
hollow in a soft bed of leaves Bobby Coon

BOBBY COON WASHES HIS FOOD 183

curled himself up in a tight little ball to
sleep the long, bright day away.

One of the ]Merry Little Breezes softly
followed him. When he had crawled into
the hollow chestnut and only his funny,
ringed tail hung out, the iVIerry Little
Breezes tweaked it sharply just for
fun, and then danced away down the
Lone Little Path to join the other
Merry Little Breezes around the Smiling
Pool.

^'Oh! Grandfather Frog/'cried a Merry
Little Breeze, '^ tell us why it is that
Bobby Coon always washes his food. He
never eats it where he gets it or takes it
home to his hollow in the big chestnut,
but always comes to the Laughing Brook
to wash it. None of the other meadow
people do that.'^

Now Great-Grandfather Frog is counted
very wise. He is very, very old and he
knows the history of all the tribes of

184 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDRENi

little meadow people way back to the
time when the frogs ruled the world.

When the Merry Little Breeze asked
him why Bobby Coon always washes his
food, Grandfather Frog stopped to snap
up a particularly fat, foohsh, green fly
that came his way. Then, while all the
Merry Little Breezes gathered around
him, he settled himself on his big green
lily pad and began:

^^ Once upon a time, when the world was
young, old King Bear ruled in the Green
Forest. Of course, old Mother Nature,
who was even more beautiful then than
she is now, was the real ruler, but she
let old King Bear think he ruled so long
as he ruled wisely.

^^ All the little Green Forest folk and
all the little people of the Green Meadows
used to take presents of food to old
King Bear, so that he never had to hunt
for things to eat. He grew fatter and

BOBBT COON WASHES HIS FOOD 185^

fatter and fatter until it seemed as if his
skin must burst. And the fatter he grew
the lazier he grew."

Grandfather Frog paused with an ex-
pectant far-away look in his great bulging
eyes. Then he leaped into the air so far
that when he came down it was with a
great splash in the Smiling Pool. But
as he swam back to his big lily pad the
leg of a foolish green fly could be seen
sticking out of one comer of his big
mouth; and he settled himself with a
sigh of great contentment.

^' Old King Bear/' continued Grand-
father Frog, just as if there had been no
interruption, ^^ grew fatter and lazier
every day, and like a great many other
fat and lazy people who have nothing to
do for themselves but are always waited
on by others, he grew shorter and shorter
in temper and harder and harder to
please.

186 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

^^ Now perhaps you don't know it, but
the Bear family and the Coon family are
very closely related. In fact, they are
second cousins. Old Mr. Coon, Bobby
Coon's father with a thousand greats
tacked on before, was young then, and
he was very, very proud of being related
to old King Bear. He began to pass
some of his old playfellows on the Green
Meadows without seeing them. He spent
a great deal of time brushing his coat and
combing his whiskers and caring for his
big ringed tail. He held his head very
high and he put on such airs that pretty
soon he could see no one at all but mem-'
bers of his own family and of the royal
family of Bear.

^^ Now as old King Bear grew fat and
lazy he grew fussy, so that he was no
longer content to take everything brought
him, but picked out the choicest portions
for himself and left the rest. Mr. Coon

BOBBY COON WASHES HIS FOOD 187

took charge of all the things brought as
tribute to old King Bear and of coui'se
where there were so many goodies left he
got all he wanted without working.

^^ So just as old Eing Bear had grown
fat and lazy and selfish, Mr. Coon grew
fat and lazy and selfish. Pretty soon he
began to pick out the best things for
himseK and hide them before old King
Bear saw them. When old King Bear
was asleep he would go get them and stuff
himself like a greedy pig. And because
he was stealing and wanted no one to
)See him he always ate his stolen feasts at
night.

^^ Now old Mother Nature is, as you all
know, very, very wise, oh very wise in-
deed. One of the first laws she made
when the world was young is that every
living thing shall work for what it has,
and the harder it works the stronger it
shall grow. So when Old Mother Nature

I8S MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

saw how fat and lazy and selfish old
King Bear was getting and how fat and
lazy and dishonest his cousin, Mr. Coon,
was becoming, she determined that they
should be taught a lesson which they
would remember for ever and ever and
ever.

^^ First she proclaimed that old King
Bear should be king no longer, and no
more need the little folks of the Green
Forest and the little people of the Green
Meadows bring him tribute.

^^ Now when old Mother Nature made
this proclamation old liing Bear was
fast asleep. It was just on the edge of
winter and he had picked out a nice
warm cave with a great pile of leaves for
a bed. Old Alother Nature peeped in
at him. He was snoring and probably
dreaming of more good things to eat.
' If he is to be king no longer, there is no
use in waking him now,^ said old Mother

SOBBY COON WASHES HIS FOOD 189

Nature to herself, ^ he is so fat and so
stupid. He shall sleep until gentle Sister
South Wind comes in the spring to kiss
away the snow and ice. Then he shall
waken with a lean stomach and a great
appetite and there shall be none to feed
him/

^' Now old Mother Nature always has
a warm heart and she was very fond of
Bobby Coon's grandfather a thousand
times removed. So when she saw what
a selfish glutton and thief he had become
she decided to put him to sleep just as
she had old King Bear. But first she
would teach Mr. Coon that stolen food
is not the sweetest.

'^ So old Mother Nature found some
tender, juicy corn just in the milk which
Mr. Coon had stolen from old King Bear.
Then she went down on the Green Mead-
ows where the wild mustard grows and
gathering a lot of this she rubbed the

190 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

juice into the corn and then put it back
where ^Ir. Coon had left it.

'' Now I have told you that it was night
when Mr. Coon had his stolen feasts, for
he wanted no one to see him. So no one
was there when he took a great bite of
the tender, juicy com old ^Mother Nature
had put back for him. Being greedy and
a glutton, he swallowed the first mouth-
ful before he had fairly tasted it, and took
a second, and then such a time as there
was on the edge of the Green Forest!
Mr. Coon rolled over and over with both
of his forepaws clasped over his stomach
and groaned and groaned and groaned.
He had rubbed his eyes and of course had
got mustard into them and could not see.
He waked up all the little Green Forest
folk who sleep through the night, as good
people should, and they all gathered
around to see what was the matter with
Mr. Coon,

BOBBY COON WASHES HIS FOOD 191

'' Finally old Mother Nature came to
his relief and brought him some water.
Then she led him to his home in the
great hollow in the big chestnut tree,
and when she had seen him curled up in
a tight little ball among the dried leaves
she put him into the long sleep as she had
old King Bear.

'^ In the spring, when gentle Sister
South Wind kissed away all the snow and
ice, old King Bear, who was king no
longer, and Mr. Coon awoke and both
were very thin, and both were very
hungry, oh very, very hungry indeed.
Old King Bear, who was king no longer,
wasn't the least mite fussy about what he
had to eat, but ate gladly any food he
could find.

'^ But Mr. Coon remembered the burn-
ing of his stomach and mouth and could
not forget it. So whenever he found
anything to eat he first took it to the

192 MOTHER WEST WIND'S rHILDREN/

Laughing Brook or the Smiling Pool and
washed it very carefully, lest there be
some mustard on it.

^^ And ever since that long ago time,
when the world was young, the Coon
family has remembered that experience
of Mr. Coon, who was second cousin to
old King Bear, and that is why Bobby
Coon washes his food, travels about at
night, and sleeps all winter, ^^ concluded
Grandfather Frog, fixing his great goggle
eyes on a foolish green fly headed his way.

^' Oh thank you, thank you. Grand-
father Frog/' cried the Merry Little
Breezes as they danced away over the
Green Meadows. But one of them slipped
back long enough to get behind the
foolish green fly and blow him right up
to Grandfather Frog's big lily pad.

" Chug-a-rum,'' said Grandfather Frog,
smacking his^lips.

XIII

THE MERRY LITTLE BREEZES HAVE
A BUSY DAY

XIII

THE MERRY LITTLE BREEZES HAVE A
BUSY DAY

OLD MOTHER WEST WIND
came down from the Purple Hills
in the shadowy coolness of the
early morning, before even jolly, round,
red Mr. Sun had thrown off his rosy cov-
erlids for his daily climb up through the
blue sky. The last little star was blinking
sleepily as Old Mother West Wind turned
her big bag upside down on the Green
Meadows and all her children, the Merry
Little Breezes, tumbled out on the soft
green grass.

Then Old Mother West Wind kissed
them all around and hurried away to hunt

196 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

for a rain cloud which had gone astray.
The Merry Little Breezes watched her
go. Then they played hide and seek
until jolly, round, red Mr. Sun had
chmbed out of bed and was smiling down
on the Green Meadows.

Pretty soon along came Peter Rabbit,
lipperty-lipperty-lip.

''Hello, Peter Rabbit!'' shouted the
Merry Little Breezes. '' Come play with
us!''

'' Can't," said Peter Rabbit. '' I have
to go find some tender young carrots for
my breakfast," and away he hurried,
lipperty-lipperty-lip.

In a few minutes Jimmy Skunk came
in sight and he seemed to be almost hurry-
ing along the Crooked Little Path down
the hill. The Merry Little Breezes
danced over to meet him.

'' Hello, Jimmy Skunk! " they cried.
'* Come play with us! "

THE MERRY LITTLE BREEZES 197

Jimmy Skunk shook his head,
'^ Can't/' said he. '' I have to go look
for some beetles for my breakfast/' and
off he went looking under every old stick
and pulling over every stone not too big
for his strength.

The Merry Little Breezes watched him
for a few minutes and then raced over to
the Laughing Brook. There they found
Billy Mink stealing softly down towards
the Smiling Pool.

^^ Oh, Billy Mink, come play with us/'
begged the Merrj^ Little Breezes.
'' Can't/' said Billy Mink. '' I have to
catch a trout for Grandfather Mink's
breakfast/' and he crept on towards the
Smiling Pool.

Just then along came Bumble the Bee.
Now Bumble the Bee is a lazy fellow who
always makes a great fuss, as if he was the
busiest and most important fellow in the
world.

198 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

" Good morning, Bumble/' cried the
Merry Little Breezes. ^^ Come play with
us!''

^^ Buzz, buzz, buzz," grumbled Bumble
the Bee. ^^ Can't, for I have to get a sack
of honey," and off he hurried to the
nearest dandelion.

Then the Merry Little Breezes hunted
up Johnny Chuck. But Johnny Chuck
was busy, too busy to play. Bobby Coon
was asleep, for he had been out all night.
Reddy Fox also was asleep. Striped
Chipmunk was in such a hurry to fill the
pockets in his cheeks that he could hardly
stop to say good morning. Happy Jack
Squirrel just flirted his big tail and rushed
away as if he had many important things
to attend to.

Finally the Merry Little Breezes gave
it up and sat down among the buttercups
and daisies to talk it over. Every one
seemed to have something to do, every

THE MERRY LITTLE BREEZES 199

one but themselves. It was such a busy
world that sunshiny morning! Pretty
soon one of the Merry Little Breezes
hopped up very suddenly and began the
maddest little dance among the butter-
cups.

^^ As we haven't anything to do for
ourselves let's do something for somebody
else! '' he shouted.

Up jumped all the Little Breezes,
clapping their hands.

'' Oh let's! " they shouted.

Way over across the Green Meadows
they could see two long ears above the
nodding daisies.

^^ There's Peter Rabbit/' cried one.
'^ Let's help him find those tender young
carrots! "

No sooner proposed than off they all
raced to see who could reach Peter firsto
Peter was sitting up very straight, looking
this way and looking that way for som^

200 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

tender young carrots, but not one had he
found, and his stomach was empty. The
Merry Little Breezes stopped just long
enough to tickle his long ears and pull his
whiskers, then away they raced, scattering
in all directions, to see who could first find
a tender young carrot for Peter Rabbit.
By and by when one of them did find a
field of tender young carrots he rushed
ofif, taking the smell of them with him to
tickle the nose of Peter Rabbit.

Peter wriggled his nose, his funny little
nose, very fast when it was tickled with
the smell of tender young carrots, and
the Merry Little Breeze laughed to see
him.

^^ Come on, Peter Rabbit, for this is my
busy day! ^' he cried.

Peter Rabbit didn't have to be invited
twice. Away he went, lipperty-lipperty-
lip, as fast as his long legs could take him
after the Merry Little Breeze. And

THE MERRY LITTLE BREEZES 201

presently they came to the field of tender
young carrots.

'' Oh thank you, Merry Little Breeze! ''
cried Peter Rabbit, and straightway began
to eat his breakfast.

Another Merry Little Breeze, slipping
up the Crooked Little Path on the hill,
spied the hind legs of a fat beetle sticking
out from under a flat stone. At once the
Little Breeze remembered Jimmy Skunk,
who was hunting for beetles for his
breakfast. Off rushed the Little Breeze
in merry whirls that made the grasses
sway and bend and the daisies nod.

When after a long, long hunt he found
Jimmy Skunk, Jimmy was very much out
of sorts. In fact Jimmy Skunk was
positively cross. You see, he hadn't had
any breakfast, for hunt as he would he
couldn't find a single beetle.

When the Merry Little Breeze danced
up behind Jimmy Skunk and, just in fun,

202 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

rumpled up his black and white coat,
Jimmy quite lost his temper. In fact
he said some things not at all nice to the
Merry Little Breeze. But the Merry
Little Breeze just laughed. The more he
laughed the crosser Jimmy Skunk grew,
and the crosser Jimmy Skunk grew the
more the Merry Little Breeze laughed.
It was such a jolly laugh that pretty soon
Jimmy Skunk began to grin a little
sheepishly, then to really smile and
finally to laugh outright in spite of his
empty stomach. You see it is very hard,
very hard indeed and very fooHsh, to'
remain cross when someone else is per-
fectly good natured.

Suddenly the Merry Little Breeze
danced up to Jimmy Skunk and whispered
in his right ear. Then he danced around
and whispered in his left ear. Jimmy
Skunk^s eyes snapped and his mouth be-
gan to water.

THE MERRY LITTLE BREEZES 203

''Where, Little Breeze, where?'' he
begged.

" Follow me/' cried the Merry Little
Breeze, racing off up the Crooked Little
Path so fast that Jimmy Skunk lost his
breath trying to keep up, for you know
Jimmy Skunk seldom hurries.

When they came to the big flat stone
Jimmy Skunk grasped it with both hands
and pulled and pulled. Up came the
stone so suddenly that Jimmy Skunk fell
over flat on his back. When he had
scrambled to his feet there were beetles
and beetles, running in every direction
to find a place to hide.

'' Thank you, thank you, Little
Breeze,'' shouted Jimmy Skunk as he
started to catch beetles for his breakfast.

And the Little Breeze laughed happily
as he danced away to join the other
Merry Little Breezes on the Green
Meadows. There he found them very.

204 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

very busy, very busy indeed, so busy that
they could hardly find time to nod to him.
What do you think they were doing?
They were toting gold ! Yes, Sir, toting
gold! And this is how it happened:

While the first Little Breeze was show-
ing Peter Rabbit the field of tender young
carrots, and while the second Little Breeze
was leading Jimmy Skunk to the flat
stone and the beetles, the other Merry
Little Breezes had found Bumble the
Bee. Now Bumble the Bee is a lazy
fellow, though he pretends to be the
busiest fellow in the world, and they
found him grumbling as he buzzed with a
great deal of fuss from one flower to
another.

'' What's the matter. Bumble? '' cried
the Merry Little Breezes.

^' Matter enough,'' grumbled Bumble
the Bee. ^^ I've got to make a sack of
honey, and as if that isn't enough, old

THE MERRY LITTLE BREEZES 205

Mother Nature has ordered me to carry a
sack of gold from each flower I visit to
the next flower I visit. If I don't I can
get no honey. Buzz-buzz-buzz/' grum-
bled Bumble the Bee,

The Merry Little Breezes looked at the
million little flowers on the Green Mead-
ows, each waiting a sack of gold to give
and a sack of gold to receive. Then they
looked at each other and shouted happily,
for they too would now be able to cry
'^ busy, busy, busy.''

From flower to flower they hurried,
each with a bag of gold over his shoulder.
Wherever they left a bag they took a bag,
and all the Httle flowers nodded happily
to see the Merry Little Breezes at work.

Jolly, round, red Mr. Sun climbed
higher and higher and higher in the blue
sky, where he can look down and see all
things, great and small. His smile was
broader than ever as he watched the

206 M0THE:R west WIND'S CKrriLDREN

hurrying, scurrying Little Breezes work-
ing instead of playing. Yet after all it
was a kind of play, for they danced from
flower to flower and ran races across bare
places where no flowers grew.

By and by the Merry Little Breezes
met Peter Rabbit. Now Peter Rabbit
had made a good breakfast of tender
young carrots, so he felt very good, very
good indeed.

'' Hi! '' shouted Peter Rabbit, '' come
play with me.^^

''Can't,'' cried the Merry Little
Breezes all together, '' we have work to
do!"

Off they hurried, while Peter Rabbit
stretched himself out full length in a
sunny spot, for Peter Rabbit also is a
lazy fellow.

Down the Crooked Little Path on-
to the Green Meadows came Jimmy
Skunk-

THfe MERRY LITTiE BREEZES 207

" Ho! " shouted Jimmy Skunk as soon
as he saw the Little Breezes, ^^ come play
with me/^

'' Can't/' cried the Little Breezes, '^ foi
we are busy, busy, busy," and they
laughed happily.

When they reached the Laughing Brook
they found Billy Mink curled up in a
round ball, fast asleep. It isn't often that
Billy Mink is caught napping, but he had
had a good breakfast of trout, he had
found no one to play with and, as he
never works and the day was so bright
and warm, he had first looked for a place
where he thought no one would find him
and had then curled himself up to sleep.

One of the Little Breezes laid down the
bag of gold he was carrying and creeping
ever so softly over to Billy Mink be-
gan to tickle one of Billy's ears with a
straw.

At first Billy Mink didn't open his

208 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

eyes, but rubbed his ear with a little
black hand. Finally he jumped to his
feet wide awake and ready to fight who-
ever was bothering him. But all he
saw was a laughing Little Breeze run-
ning away with a bag of gold on his
back.

So all day long, till Old [Mother West
Wind came with her big bag to carry
them to their home behind the Purple
Hills, the Merry Little Breezes hurried
this way and that way over the Green
Meadows. No wee flower was too tiny
to give and receive its share of gold, and
not one was overlooked by the Merry
Little Breezes.

Old Mother Nature, who knows every-
thing, heard of the busy day of the
Merry Little Breezes. Nobody knows
how she heard of it. Perhaps jolly,
round, red Mr. Sun told her. Perhaps —
but never mind. You can't fool old

THE MERRY LITTLE BREEZES 203

Mother Nature anyway and it's of no
use to try.

So old Mother Nature visited the
Green Meadows to see for herself, and
when she found how the Merry Little
Breezes had distributed the gold she was
so pleased that straightway she an-
nounced to all the world that thenceforth
and for all time the Merry Little Breezes
of Old ]\Iother West Wind should have
charge of the distribution of the gold of
the flowers on the Green Meadows, which
they have to this day.

And since that day the Merry Little
Breezes have been merrier than ever, for
they have found that it is not nearly so
much fun to play all the time, but that to
work for some good in the world is the
greatest fun of all.

So every year when the gold of the
flowers, which some people do not know
is gold at all but call pollen, is ready you

210 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

will find the IMerry Little Breezes of Old
Mother West Wind very, very busy
among the flowers on the Green Meadows.
And this is the happiest time of alL

XIV

WHY HOOTY THE OWL DOES NOT PLAY
ON THE GREEN MEADOWS

XIV

TVHY BOOTY THE OWL DOES NOT PLAl'
ON THE GREEN MEADOWS

THE Merry Little Breezes of Old
Mother West Wind were having
a good-night game of tag down
on the Green Meadows. They were
having such a jolly time while they
waited for Old Mother West Wind and
her big bag to take them to their home
behind the Purple Hills. Jolly, round,
red Mr. Sun had already put his night-
cap on. Black shadows crept softly out
from the Purple Hills onto the Green
Meadows. The Merry Little Breezes
grew sleepy, almost too sleepy to play,
for Old Mother West Wind was very,
verv late.

214 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

Farther and farther and farther out
onto the Green Meadows crept the black
shadows. Suddenly one seemed to sepa-
rate from the others. Softly, oh so
softly, yet swiftly, it floated over towards
the Merry Little Breezes. One of them
happened to look up and saw it coming.
It was the same Little Breeze who one
time stayed out all night. When he looked
up and saw this seeming shadow moving
so swiftly he knew that it was no shadow
at all.

" Here comes Hooty the Owl/^ cried
the Little Breeze.

Then all the Merry Little Breezes
stopped their game of tag to look at
Hooty the Owl. It is seldom they have a
chance to see him, for usually Hooty the
Owl does not come out on the Green
Meadows until after the Merry Little
Breezes are snugly tucked in bed behind
the Purple Hills.

HOOTY THE OWL 215

'^ Perhaps Hooty the Owl will tell us
why it is that he never comes out to play
with us/' said one of the Little Breezes.

But just as Hooty the Owl floated over
to them up came Old Mother West Wind,
and she was in a great hurry, for she was
latC; and she was tired. She had had a
busy day, a very busy day indeed, hunt-
ing for a rain cloud which had gone
astray. So now she just opened her big
bag and tumbled all the Merry Little
Breezes into it as fast as she could without
giving them so much as a chance to say
^^ Good evening ' to Hooty the Owl.
Then she took them off home behind the
Purple Hills.

Of course the Merry Little Breezes
were disappointed, very much disap-
pointed. But they were also very sleepy,
for they had played hard all day.

^^ Never mind,'' said one of them,
drowsily, ^^ to-morrow we'll ask Great-

216 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

Grandfather Frog why it is that Hooty
the Owl never comes out to play with us
on the Green Meadows. He'll know/'

The next morning Old Mother West
Wind was late in comng down from the
Purple Hills. When she finally aid turn
the Merry Little Breezes out of her big
bag onto the Green Meadows 'oUy, round,
red Mr. Sun was already quite high in the
blue sky. The Merry Little Breezes
waited just long enough to say '^ Good-
by'' to Old Mother West Wind, and
then started a mad race to see who could
reach the Smiling Pool first.

There they found Great-Grandfather
Frog sitting on his big green lily pad as
usual. He was very contented with the
world, was Grandfather Frog, for fat
green flies had been more foolish than
usual that morning and already he had
all that he could safely tuck inside his
\^hite and yellow waistcoat.

HOOTY THE OWL 217

'^ Good morning, Grandfather Frog/'
shouted the Merry Little Breezes. '' Will
you tell us why it is that Hooty the Owl
never comes out to play with us on the
Green Meadows? ''

'' Chug-a-rum/^ said Great-Grand-
father Frog, gruffly, '' how should I
know? '

You see, Grandfather Frog Ukes to be
teased a little.

^^ Oh, but you do know, for you are so
old and so very wise,'* cried the Merry
Little Breezes all together.

Grandfather Frog smiled, for he Ukes
to be thought very wise, and also he was
feeling very good, very good indeed that
morning.

'^ Chug-a-rum,^' said Grandfather Frog.
'' If youll sit perfectly still I'll tell you
what I know about Hooty the Owl. But
remember, you must sit perfectly still;
peV'fecUly still."

218 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

The ]Merrj^ Little Breezes sighed, for it
is the hardest thing in the world for them
to keep perfectly still unless they are
asleep. But they promised that they
would, and when they had settled down,
each one in the heart of a great white
water lily, Grandfather Frog began:

^' Once upon a time, when the world
was j^oung, Hooty the Owl's grandfather
a thousand times removed used to fly
about in daylight with the other birds.
He was very^ big and very strong and very
fierce, was Mr. Owl. He had great big
claws and a hooked bill, just as Hooty the
Owl has now, and he was afraid of
nothing and nobody.

''Now when people are very big and
very strong and afraid of nothing and
nobody they are verj^ apt to care for
nothing and nobody but themselves. So
it was with ]Mr. Owl. Whatever he saw
that he wanted he took, no matter to

HOOTY THE OWL 219

whom it belonged, for there was no one
to stop him.

^^ As I have already told you, Mr. Owl
was very big and very strong and very
fierce and he was a very great glutton.
It took a great many little birds and
little animals to satisfy his appetite. But
he didn't stop there! No, Sir, he didn't
stop there ! He used to kill harmless little
meadow people just for the fun of killing,
and because he could. Every day he
grew more savage. Finally no one smaller
than himself dared stir on the Green
Meadows when he was around. The little
birds no longer sang. The Fieldmice
children no longer played among the
meadow grasses. Those were sad days,
very sad days indeed on the Green
Meadows,'' said Grandfather Frog, with
a sigh.

^^ At last old Mother Nature came to
visit the Green Meadows and she soou

220 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

saw what a terrible state things were in.
No one came to meet her, for you see no
one dared to show himself for fear ot
fierce old Mr. Owl.

'' Now I have told you that Mr. Owl
was afraid of nothing and nobody, but
this is not quite true, for he was afraid,
very much afraid of old Mother Nature.
When he saw her coming he was sitting on
top of a tall dead stump and he at once
tried to look very meek and very innocent.

^^ Old Mother Nature wasted no time.
'Where are all my little meadow people
and why do they not come to give me
greeting? ' demanded old Mother Nature
of Mr. Owl.

'^ Mr. Owl bowed verj^ low. ^ I'm sure I
don't know. I think they must all be
taking a nap,' said he.

'^ Now you can't fool old Mother
Nature and it's of no use to try. No, Sir,
you can't fool old ]\Iother Nature. She

HOOTY THE OWL 221

just looked at Mr. Owl and she looked at
the feathers and fur scattered about the
foot of the dead stump. Mr. Owl stood
first on one foot and then on the other.
He tried to look old Mother Nature in the
face, but he couldn't. You see, Mr. Owl
had a guilty conscience and a guilty
conscience never looks anyone straight in
the face. He did wish that Mother
Nature would say something, did Mr.
Owl. But she didn't. She just looked
and looked and looked and looked straight
at Mr. Owl. The longer she looked the
uneasier he got and the faster he shifted
from one foot to the other. Finally he
shifted so fast that he seemed to be
dancing on top of the old stump.

^^ Gradually, a few at a time, the little
meadow people crept out from their
hiding places and formed a great circle
around the old dead stump. With old
Mother Nature there they felt sure that

222 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

no harm could come to them. Then they
began to laugh at the funny sight of
fierce old Mr. Owl hopping from one foot
to the other on top of the old dead stump.
It was the first laugh on the Green
Meadows for a long, long, long time.
, ^^ Of course Mr. Owl saw them laugh-
ing at him, but he could think of nothing
but the sharp eyes of old Mother Nature
boring straight through him, and he
danced faster than ever. The faster he
danced the funnier he looked, and the
funnier he looked the harder the little
meadow people laughed.

^^ Finally old Mother Nature slowly
raised a hand and pointed a long fore-
finger at Mr. Owl. All the little meadow-
people stopped laughing to hear what she
would say.

^^ ^ Mr. Owl,' she began, ^ I know and
you know why none of my little meadow
people were here to give me greeting.

HOOTY THE OWL, 223

And this shall be your punishment:
From now on your eyes shall become so
tender that they cannot stand the light
of day, so that hereafter you shall fly
about only after round, red Mr. Sun has
gone to bed behind the Purple Hills.
No more shall my little people who play
on the Green Meadows all the day long
have cause to fear you, for no more shall
you see to do them harm/

^' When she ceased speaking all the
little meadow people gave a great shout,
for they knew that it would be even as
(Mother Nature had said. Then began
such a frolic as the Green Meadows had
not known for many a long day.

*' But Mr. Owl flew slowly and with
diflSculty over to the darkest part of the
deep wood, for the light hurt his eyes
dreadfully and he could hardly see. And
as he flew the little birds flew around him
in a great cloud and plucked out bis

224 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

feathers and tormented him for he could
not see to harm them/'

Grandfather Frog paused and looked
dreamily across the Smihng Pool. Sud-
denly he opened his big mouth and then
closed it with a snap. One more foolish
green fly had disappeared inside the white
and yellow waistcoat.

^^ Chug - a - rum/' said Grandfather
Frog, '' those were sad days, sad days
indeed for Mr. Owl. He couldn't hunt
for his meals by day, for the light blinded
him. At night he could see but little in
the darkness. So he got little to eat and
he grew thinner and thinner and thinner
until he was but a shadow of his former
self. He was always hungry, was Mr.
Owl, always hungry. No one was afraid
of him now, for it was the easiest thing in
the world to keep out of his way.

''At last old Mother Nature came
again to visit the Green Meadows and

HOOTY THE OWL 225'

the Green Forest. Far, far in the darkest
part of the deep wood she found Mr. Owl.
When she saw how very thin and how
very, very miserable he was her heart was
moved to pity, for old Mother Nature
loves all her subjects, even the worst of
them. All the fierceness was gone from
Mr. Owl. He was so weak that he just
sat huddled in the thickest part of the
great pine. You see he had been able to
catch very little to eat.

'' ' Mr. Owl,' said old Mother Nature
gently, ' you now know something of the
misery and the suffering which you have
caused others, and I think you have been
punished enough. No more may you
fly abroad over the Green Meadows while
the day is bright, for still is the fear of
you in the hearts of all my little meadow
people, but hereafter you shall not find
it so diflScult to get enough to eat. Your
eyas shail grow big, bigger than the eyes

226 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

of any other bird, so that yoxi shall be
able to see in the dusk and even in the
dark. Your pars shall grow large, larger
than the ears of any of the httle forest or
meadow people, so that you can hear the
very least sound. Your feathers shall
become as soft as down, so that when 3^ou
fly none shall hear you/

'^ And from that day it was even so.
^Mr. OwFs ej^es grew big and bigger until
he could see as well in the dusk as he used
to see in the full hght of day. His ears
grew large and larger until his hearing
became so keen that he could hear the
least rustle, even at a long distance. And
when he flew he made no sound, but
floated like a great shadow.

'' The little meadow people no longer
feared him by day, but when the shadows
began to creep out from the Furpb Hill^
each night and they heard his voice
* Whoo-too-whoo-hoo-hoo ' th^y felt all

HOOTY THE OWL 227

the old fear of him. If they were wise
they did not stir, but if they were foohsh
and so much as shivered Mr. Owl was
sure to hear them and silently pounce
upon them.

'' So once more Mr. Owl grew strong
and fierce. But only at night had anyone
cause to fear him, and then only the^
foolish and timid.

^'And now you know/^ concluded
Grandfather Frog, ^^ why it is that Hooty
the Owl never comes out to play with you
on the Green Meadows, and why his
eyes are so big and his ears so large.''

'' Thank you, thank you, Grandfather
Frog! " cried the Merry Little Breezes,
springing up from the white water lilies
and stretching themselves. '^ We'll bring
you the first foolish green fly we can find."

Then away they rushed to hunt for it.

XV

DANNY MEADOW MOUSE LEARNS TO LAUGH

DANNY MEADOW MOUSE sat
on his doorstep and sulked. The
Merry Little Breezes of Old
Mother West Wind ran past, one after
another, and pointing their fingers at
him cried:

" Fie, Danny Meadow Mouse!
Better go inside the house!
Babies cry — oh my! oh my!
You're a baby — go and cry! ''

Pretty soon along the Lone Little Path
came Peter Rabbit. Peter Rabbit looked
at Danny Meadow Mouse. Then he
pointed a finger at him and said •

232 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

" Cry, Danny, cry!
Mammy ^11 whip you by and by!
Then we'll all come 'round to see
How big a baby you can be.
Cry, Danny, cry! "

Danny Meadow Mouse began to snivel.
He cried softly to himself as Peter Rabbit
hopped off down the Lone Little Path.
Soon along came Reddy Fox. He saw
Danny Meadow Mouse sitting on his
doorstep crying all by himself. Reddy
Fox crept up behind a tall bunch of grass.
Then suddenly he jumped out right in
front of Danny Meadow Mouse.

'' Boo! '' cried Reddy Fox.

It frightened Danny Meadow Mouse.
He jumped almost out of his skin, and
ran into the house crying at the top of his
voice.

'' Ha, ha, ha,'' laughed Reddy Fox

" Danny, Danny, crying Dan
Boo-boo-hooed and off he ran! ^'

DANNY MEADOW MOUSE 233

Then Reddy Fox chased his tail all the
way down the Lone Little Path onto the
Green Meadows.

By and by Danny Meadow Mouse
came out again and sat on his doorstep.
He had stopped crying, but he looked very
unhappy and cross and sulky. Hopping
and skipping down the Lone Little Path
came Striped Chipmunk.

^^ Come play with me/' called Dannj;
Meadow Mouse.

Striped Chipmunk kept right on hop-
ping and skipping down the Lone Little
Path.

^^ Don't want to/' said Striped Chip-
munk, sticking his tongue in his cheek.

" Cry-baby Damiy
Never'U be a mamiy!
Run to mamma, Danny, dear.
And she will wipe away your tear! ''

Striped Chipmunk hopped and skipped
out of sight, and Danny Meadow Mouse

234 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

began to cry again because Striped Chip-
munk would not play with him.

It was true, dreadfully true! Danny
Meadow Mouse was a cry-baby and no
one wanted to play with him. If he
stubbed his toe he cried. If Striped
Chipmunk beat him in a race he cried.
If the Merry Little Breezes pulled his
whiskers just in fun he cried. It had come
to such a pass that all the little meadow
people delighted to tease him just to
make him cry. Nowhere on all the Green
Meadows was there such a cry-baby as
Danny Meadow Mouse.

So Danny sat on his doorstep and cried
because no one would play with him and
he was lonely. The more he thought
how lonely he was, the more he cried.

Presently along came old Mr. Toad.
Now Mr. Toad looks very grumpy and
out of sorts, but that is because you do
not know old Mr. Toad. When he

DANNY MEADOW MOUSE 235

reached the house of Danny Meadow
Mouse he stopped right in front of Danny.
He put his right hand behind his right ear
and listened. Then he put his left hand
behind his left ear and listened some
more. Finally he put both hands on his
hips and began to laugh.

Now Mr. Toad^s mouth is very big
Indeed, and when he opens it to laugh he
opens it very wide indeed.

"Ha, ha, ha! Ha, ha, ha!^^ laughed
Mr. Toad.

Danny Meadow Mouse cried harder
than ever, and the harder he cried the
harder old Mr. Toad laughed. By and
by Danny Meadow Mouse stopped crying
long enough to say to Mr. Toad:

^^What are you laughing for, Mr.
Toad? ''

Mr. Toad stopped laughing long enough
to reply:

^^ I'm laughing, Danny Meadow

236 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

Mouse, because you are crying at me.
What are you crying for? ''

'^ I'm crying/' said Danny Meadow
Mouse, ^^ because you are laughing at
me." Then Danny began to cry again,
and Mr. Toad began to laugh again.

^' What's all this about? " demanded
some one right behind them.

It was Jimmy Skunk.

'^ It's a new kind of game," said old Mr.
Toad. ^' Danny Meadow Mouse is trying
to see if he can cry longer than I can
laugh."

Then old Mr. Toad once more opened
his big mouth and began to laugh harder
than ever. Jimmy Skunk looked at him
for just a minute and he looked so funny
that Jimmy Skunk began to laugh too.

Now a good honest laugh is like whoop-
ing cough — it is catching. The first
thing Danny Meadow Mouse knew hi«
tears would not come. It's a fact, Danny

DANNY MEADOW MOUSE 237

Meadow Mouse had run short of tears.
The next thing he knew he wasn't crying
at all — he was laughing. Yes, Sir, he
actually was laughing. He tried to cry,
but it was of no use at all; he just hxid to
laugh.

The more he laughed the harder old
Mr. Toad laughed. And the harder Mr.
Toad laughed the funnier he looked.
Pretty soon all three of them, Danny
Meadow Mouse, old Mr. Toad and Jimmy
Skunk, were holding their sides and rolling
over and over in the grass, they were
laughing so hard.

By and by Mr. Toad stopped laughing.

^^ Dear me, dear me, this will never
do! '' said Mr. Toad. '' I must get busy
in my garden.

'' The little slugs, they creep and crawl
And eat and eat from spring to fall
They never stop to laugh nor cry,
An.d really couldn't if they'd try.

238 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

So if you'll excuse me I'll hurry along to
get them out of my garden/'

Mr. Toad started down the Lone Little
Path. After a few hops he paused and
turned around.

^^ Danny Meadow Mouse/ ^ said old
Mr. Toad, ^^ an honest laugh is like sun-
shine; it brightens the whole world.
Don't forget it."

Jimmy Skunk remembered that he had
started out to find some beetles, so still
chuckling he started for the Crooked
Little Path up the hill. Danny Meadow
Mouse, once more alone, sat down on his
doorstep. His sides were sore, he had
laughed so hard, and somehow the whole
world had changed. The grass seemed
greener than he had ever seen it before.
The sunshine was brighter and the
songs of the birds were sweeter. Altor
gether it was a rery nice world, a very
nice world indeed to live in. Somehow

DANNY MEADOW MOUSE 239

he felt as if he never wanted to cry
again.

Pretty soon along came the Merry
Little Breezes again, chasing butterflies.
When they saw Danny Meadow Mouse
sitting on his doorstep they pointed their
fingers at him, just as before, and
shouted:

" Fie, Danny Meadow Mouse!
Better go inside the house!
Babies cry — oh my! oh my!
You're a baby — go and cry! '*

For just a little minute Danny Meadow
Mouse wanted to cry. Then he remem-
bered old Mr. Toad and instead began to
laugh.

The Merry Little Breezes didn't know
just what to make of it. They stopped
chasing butterflies and crowded around
Danny Meadow Mouse. They began to
tease him. They pulled his whiskers and

240 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN.

rumpled his hair. The more they teased
the more Danny Meadow Mouse laughed.

When they found that Danny Meadow
Mouse really wasn't going to cry, they
stopped teasing and invited him to come
play with them in the long meadow grass.
Such a good frolic as they did have!
When it was over Danny Meadow Mouse
once more sat down on his doorstep to
rest.

Hopping and skipping back up the
Lone Little Path came Striped Chipmunk.
When he saw Danny ]\Ieadow Alouse he
stuck his tongue in his cheek and cried:

*' Cry-baby Danny
Never'U be a manny!
Run to mamma, Danny dear,
And she will wdpe away your tear! "

Instead of crj^ng Dann}^ IMeadow
Mouse began to laugh. Striped Chip-
munk stopped and took his tongue out of

DANNY MEADOW MOUSE 241

his cheek. Then he began to laugh
too.

'^ Do you want me to play with you? "
asked Striped Chipmunk, suddenly.

Of course Danny did, and soon they
were having the merriest kind of a game
of hide and seek. Right in the midst of
it Danny Meadow Mouse caught his left
foot in a root and twisted his ankle. My,
how it did hurt! In spite of himself
tears did come into his eyes. But he
winked them back and bravely began to
laugh.

Striped Chipmunk helped him back to
his doorstep and cut funny capers while
Mother Meadow Mouse bound up the
hurt foot, and all the time Danny
Meadow Mouse laughed until pretty
soon he forgot that his foot ached at
aU.

When Peter Rabbit came jumping
along up the Lone Little Path he began

242 MOTHER WEST WIND'S CHILDREN

to shout as soon as he saw Danny Meadow
Mouse:

" Cry, Danny, cry!
Mammy '11 whip you by and by!
Then we'll all come 'round to see
How big a baby you can be.
Cry, Danny, cry! "

But Danny didn't cry. My, no! He
laughed instead. Peter Rabbit was so
surprised that he stopped to see what
had come over Danny Meadow Mouse.
When he saw the bandaged foot and
heard how Danny had twisted his ankle
Peter Rabbit sat right down on the door-
step beside Danny Meadow Mouse and
told him how sorry he was, for happy-go-
lucky Peter Rabbit is very tender-hearted.
Then he told Danny all about the won-
derful things he had seen in his travels,
and of all the scrapes he had gotten into.
When Peter Rabbit finally started off

DANNY MEADOW MOUSE 243

home Danny Meadow Mouse still sat on
his doorstep. But no longer was he lonely.
He watched Old Mother West Wind try-
ing to gather her Merry Little Breezes
into her big bag to take to their home be-
hind the Purple Hills, and he laughed
right out when he saw her catch the last
mischievous Little Breeze and tumble
him, heels over head, in with the others.

^' Old Mr. Toad was right, just exactly
right,^' thought Danny Meadow Mouse,
as he rocked to and fro on his doorstep.
'^ It is much better, oh very much better,
to laugh than to cry.'^

And since that day when Danny
Meadow Mouse learned to laugh, no one
has had a chance to point a finger at him
and call him a cry-baby. Instead every
one has learned to love merry ]ittle
Danny Meadow Mouse, and now they
eall him " Laughing Dan/'

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